Nobody's Listening
by Jynx Tsilevon
Summary: 12 year old Reeve witnesses the murder of Vincent Valentine and barely escapes with his life. In a flash he, his friends Cid and Shera, the Turk Zel, and Lucrecia begin to uncover the secrets that cost the Turk his life, even if it costs them thier own.
1. Prologue: Be Careful What You Wish For

**A/N:** Thank you brave reader for taking a chance with a very stange story idea that just popped in my head.

I typed this, and then my dear sister told me that Vincent was in a coffin for 30 years,and that Reeve is 37. So I was wrong, sue me! (don't, actually.). This whole story is written in Reeve's point of view. It takes place way before the game.

So please Read and Review, if you have time. Comments/ideas/questions are always welcome. Of course, flames are too, but beware! I'll use my handy-dandy fire extinguisher on you or use your flame to cook my marshmellows!

Right, and this is my first 'series' type fan fiction...

**Disclaimer: I don't own Final Fantasy VII, characters, or Square Enix. Don't sue me, I'm poor!

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Nobody's Listening

Prologue: Be Careful What You Wish For

A twelve year old boy stood in front of the well, looking down into its dark depths. Next to him, a grey and white cat sat, looking into the well with the boy. Neither moved for awhile, before the boy pulled one gil from his pocket and sighed.

"I wish my life was more interesting, Cait," the boy said to the cat next to him, throwing the coin into the darkness of the well and sighing again. The cat next to him mewed and jumped onto his head. He smiled at his robot-yes, Cait wasn't a real cat, though everyone thought he was- and turned away from the wishing well that stood at the center of Nibelhiem.

"I mean," He continued, "sure Dad works at ShinRa Manufacturing and travels a lot with work. And sure, he takes me with him; but…really, our life is really plain, isn't it?" In fact, the boy's father was in the neighboring town, talking to the engineers there about making airships for ShinRa. He'd let his son wander around, and the boy had wandered here, after telling his dad were he was going, and now sat wistfully waiting for his dad to come get him… or for something interesting to happen.

Only a few minutes later did the boy get his wish.

"I can't believe this!" the boy looked up from where he was studding the ground and watching in amazement as a tall, dark haired man in a blue suit stormed down the street towards the old manor house at the other end of town.

"Hey, Cait, isn't that a Turk?" he whispered to the robotic cat. The cat mewed once and watched with the boy as the Turk walked up to the gate that surrounded the manor and ripped open the gate. The boy was surprised when the man didn't pull the gate off its hinges. Wanting to know what was going on, the boy followed the Turk, trying his best not to be seen.

Not like the man was in any mood to notice he was being followed by a kid.

"That bastard!" the Turk yelled, half running towards the manor's door. "Who the hell does he think he is?! Oh, wait, he's _Hojo_. He thinks he's a _god._ Damn him!"

"Hojo? Isn't that the head of the Science Department?" the boy whispered, watching the Turk from behind a tree. As he watched, the Turk had made it to the door. It seemed the door was locked, which only succeeded in making the Turk angrier, if that was possible. The boy though the man might look for a key, or go through a window, so it shocked him when the man pulled a gun from his belt and shot the door handle, blowing it clean off.

"Wow, is he angry or what? Wonder what's up?" the boy said, watching the man storm into the manor. He followed quickly, entering the building in time to see the man be confronted by a pretty woman in a lab coat. He quickly hid behind the door and listened to the bits of conversation.

"Vincent? What are…Hojo? He's in the libaray…wait, what are you going to…" The woman started, talking to the Turk who the boy guessed was Vincent.

"Nothing, don't worry about it…" Vincent said, cutting her off and heading up the stairs, taking two at a time. The woman looked after him for a moment and then sighed, heading into a room just behind her. The boy took this moment to charge up the stairs after the Turk, Cait bouncing along on his head. He got lost for a moment, unable to find where the Turk had gone. Then he heard the man's foot steps as he went down metal stairs behind a false wall.

"This keeps getting more and more like the mystery novels Dad reads to us!" the boy whispered excitedly. He hurried down the stairs and easily found the library that the woman was talking about. Seeing that both men had their backs to him, the boy quickly hid in a closet close to the door to examine the situation. Without thinking, he whispered the word "record" to Cait.

"How could you let this happen?" Vincent the Turk demanded. The boy guessed the man he was yelling at was Hojo.

"Silence, boy…" Hojo replied, smiling. The boy shivered at his smile, and then noticed that Hojo held a gun. "Silence!"

"He's got a gun!" the boy yelped, but the warning was lost as the gun was fired. The boy covered his mouth to keep himself from screaming.

The Turk lay on the ground, shot through the heart at point blank range. Only, he wasn't _dead_ yet. He was still alive, still trying to fight back.

"Lucre…cia…" the man moaned, before closing his eyes and laying still. The boy couldn't take his eyes off of the dead man, gulping deeply and struggling to keep from screaming. Hojo was giving some kind of speech to the dead body, but the boy could no longer hear. His heart was beating crazily, and he was struggling to breath. He saw that a pool of dark liquid –blood! - had formed around the man's chest.

He'd just witnessed a murder.

And he was stuck in a closet.

With a madman twenty feet away.

Taunting a dead man.

Before he could figure out what to do, the woman appeared in his sights.

"What did you do?!" she screamed, tears streaming down her face. Hojo looked shocked for a moment. Then he looked at the gun in his hands and at the dead Turk.

"I shot him."

"You did what?!"

"He was in our way, Lucrecia, and he knew the consequences," Hojo responded. The boy gulped. This guy was by far the craziest man he'd ever seen.

"You killed him, Hojo!"

"I needed a body to experiment with."

"You needed a what?!"

"A _body_, Lucrecia. And, as you see, the boy is no longer using his."

"Because you _killed_ him!" the woman, Lucrecia, was hysterical. The boy sympathized, because he was too. She slapped Hojo's face, the sound resonating throughout the house.

"I knew you wouldn't understand," Hojo said, sighing.

"Wouldn't understand?! How many people have you killed for experimental purposes?!" Lucrecia screamed. Hojo only grinned, causing the boy to gasp and fall out of the closet. The noise caused both Hojo and Lucrecia to look over. What they saw was a very frightened boy staring back at them.

"Oh dear…" Lucrecia whispered, looking at the boy. Hojo didn't say anything. He just slowly raised the gun to the boy's chest and put his finger on the trigger. The boy was sure he was going to end up to be an experiment just like Vincent.

A flash of movement from the ground behind Hojo caught the boy's eye. Suddenly Hojo was flat on his face, the gun slid to Lucrecia's feet. The boy looked back at the Turk who was supposed to be dead. Instead, the Turk was shaking, one hand trying to reach for the gun at Lucrecia's feet. When he couldn't reach it, the man dropped to the ground again, as if he was dead.

The boy had heard that people who died with revenge on their mind often came back as zombies, but he didn't think that was true.

"There _is_ hope…" Lucrecia muttered, scooping up the gun and holding it close to her. "Run, boy!" The boy snapped out of his trance, grabbed Cait, and ran, making sure to run over Hojo as he did.

He ran without stopping up the stairs, thought the halls, down the main staircase and out the front door. He didn't look back to check if he was being chased. He guessed that Hojo would find him eventually, if he really wanted too.

Shock and fear fueled him, granting him the endurance to make it back to the well before stopping for a breath. It was then he noticed someone coming up to him.

"Reeve?" The boy heard his name being called, and looked up to see his father. "Reeve, are you okay?"

The boy - Reeve- struggled to say something. But nothing came out. Shock finally wore off to exaughtion.

"Reeve! What's wrong?" his father called, but Reeve no longer could talk. He could not stand, see, hear, or function.

Basically, he fainted.

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**A/N: Thank you for reading! To Be Continued:-) **


	2. Chapter 1: Recruiting

**A/N: **Amazing! No flames yet! Well, Cid and Shera come in here, but breifly. They're more in the next chapter...

BTW: Updates won't always come out this fast...quarterlies, homework, and the big Freshman Research Project are looming ahead in the future. So I'm going to be waving goodbye to my free time very soon. I'll try to update as soon as possible, but please be patient. -anime sweat droplet-

Thank you for reading this far! Same disclamers apply! Thank you to my reviewrs!

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Nobody's Listening 

Chapter One: Recruiting

"I'm really worried about Reeve." Reeve heard his mother say outside his bedroom door. "Ever since you brought him back from Nibelhiem…_unconscious_…he hasn't been the same. What happened, Sam?"

"I don't know, Ruvi, I really don't. He was fine when I dropped him off to mix and mingle. Something must have happened…" Samuel, Reeve's father, replied.

"Sam, of course something happened! He hasn't eaten right or slept in over a week!"

"I'll talk to him. Right now, though, I think he needs some time alone."

"He's _had_ time alone, Sam!"

"I'll talk to him after work today, alright? I haven't gone in for a week! I'll be surprised if I still _have_ a job…"

"Fine," Ruvi agreed, sighing.

Reeve listened to the conversation. He hated when his parents argued about his wellbeing. Sure, he wasn't fine, but he didn't want his parents to fight about it. Then a thought struck him.

Hojo, the mad scientist, worked at ShinRa.

His dad worked at ShinRa.

Hojo had _seen_ him.

Hojo knew Reeve was a witness, and was still alive.

His dad worked close to the Science Department.

Hojo knew Reeve's father.

Hojo might kill his father!

Reeve jumped out of bed, where he was supposed to be sleeping peacefully (not going to happen) and unaware of the conversation being held about him (too bad for his parents). He pulled his door open and flew down the hall. He didn't stop until he had collided with his father's stomach. Samuel let out an 'oof' and looked down his son, worry on his face.

"Reeve?"

"DON'T GO!" Reeve yelled, bringing his mother running back into the room.

"What's going on?" she asked. Sam looked just as confused as his wife.

"Don't go Dad! Don't!" Reeve yelled again.

"Nothing is going to happen to me, Reeve. I go to work all the time," his father said soothingly. But Reeve refused to listen. He just shook his head violently and did move. "I'm not going to die, Reeve." Reeve gasped and let go, backing away.

"Reeve?"

"Um…I…H-have a good day, Dad…" Reeve whispered.

"Are you…"

"Just fine! Have a good day!" Reeve said, forcing a smile. He bet the word "Fake" was written all over his face, so he ran back towards his room, leaving his parents completely bewildered.

Reeve waited until his mother went to the grocery store before pulling Cait and a big book out from under his bed. The book, _The Encyclopedia of Monsters_, was a gift from a friend of Reeve's father, someone by the name of Grimore. Reeve had never met him, and had always thought the gift was a little strange.

Until now, that is.

"Zombies, zombies…." Reeve muttered, flipping through the pages. He passed _Demons, Nymphs, Zolomns_...and didn't find it. "Okay, 'Undead'…" He flipped through again and found the page, reading off to Cait to record.

"'The Undead,"' he read, "'also known as Zombies, are dead humans or animals that rise from the dead. Often these creatures come from humans/animals whom, in their last moments, felt an extreme emotion, such as uncontrollable rage or betrayal…'" Reeve gulped, remembering the pissed off Turk storming down the street before continuing. "Many Undead tend to go after those whom they were last with, even if that person was the love of their lives. Basically mindless, they thrive off of pure instinct, and not off of thoughts. Avoid at all costs, for even in their mindless state, they are extremely dangerous. Also see _Necromancer, Zombie Lord, Demon, _for more information on the Undead and those who can summon."'

Reeve blinked and gulped. Had the Turk seen him before he'd died? Did he turn into a zombie? Was he going to come back and kill Reeve off of instinct? Reeve shivered and shut the book, throwing it back under his bed and hiding under his covers until his father came home.

Reeve heard his dad's car pull into the garage. He jumped from the bed, taking Cait with him, and hurried to the family room. He would have to employ his best acting skills for his next plan to work. Lives depended on it.

He sat down and turned on the television, making it appear that he'd been sitting there for the whole duration of the show, right as his father walked in.

"Hey Dad," Reeve said, not looking away from the TV.

"Reeve…you're…out of bed," his father replied, smiling.

"Yup."

"Feeling better, then?"

"Yeah. Don't know why, but I got really sick while in Niblehiem…maybe being so close to the Lifestream affected me or something…"

"So it seems…" his father stated, sitting next to Reeve and carefully avoiding Cait.

"Can Cid and Shera come over tomorrow?" Reeve asked, forcing himself to keep his eyes on the TV and not look at his father. He was afraid that his eyes would give away everything.

"Are you sure you're well enough?"

"Yes! I really am fine, Dad. I was just tired, honestly!" Reeve glanced at his father and was relieved to see him smiling.

"Fine, go call the Highwinds and see if they are allowed."

"Yes!" Reeve said, sailing from the couch and to the phone. He dialed quickly and was happy when Cid picked up the phone.

"'sup?" Cid asked.

"Cid! It's me, Reeve! Can you share the phone with Shera?"

"Sure, what's up, Reeve? Shera and I thought ya were dead!" Reeve shivered at Cid's words, slipping off into his room to talk in private. His dad just let him, thinking he was talking about some kind of prank or something.

"I might be soon, Cid," he whispered.

"What? Hang on a sec, Shera's getting on another line real quick." Reeve heard a buzzing sound and then Shera's bright voice.

"Hi Reeve! Feeling better?" Reeve smiled. Just hearing Shera often cheered him up greatly.

"What's this about you being dead soon?" Cid said, crushing Reeve's almost happy mood. Shera gasped.

"What?!"

"Okay, guys, I need you two to put on the best acting skills you posses. Are you guys away from Cid's parents?"

"We are now, what the heck is going on?!" Cid asked.

"Remember a week ago, when my dad found me unconscious?"

"Yeah, you scared me half to death, Reeve!" Shera squeaked into the phone. Cid just snorted.

"Well…I fainted from shock…I…I'm a witness to a murder, guys….and the murderer saw me and I think the guy he tried to kill is a zombie and now if the zombie doesn't get me, the murder will! Guys, I don't want to die!" Reeve said hurriedly into the phone. Silence greeted him. For a second, I was sure my two best friends thought I was crazy.

"Reeve?" Cid asked.

"I'm not crazy, Cid."

"I know you're not…"

"Thank you, Cid." Over the phone, I heard Captain Takota Highwind walk in and speak.

"What's goin' on? Why is Shera shakin'?" Reeve gulped. His secret was out.

"Oh my god!" Shera screamed. Reeve was sure she was going to start sobbing and tell everything to the Captain. He silently began to pray.

"What is it?" Takota's muffled voice.

"Reeve made Cait talk!" Shera squealed with delight. Reeve just about dropped the phone. If he'd been in the room, he bet he would have died.

"He did what?"

"He made Cait talk! Captain, can we go see him tomorrow?! I want to see it for myself! I can't believe it! He's got to tell me how he did it!" Shera gushed. Reeve would bet his inheritance that she was probably pacing around, and waving the phone up and down in her hand, all in her desperate attempt to get Cid and herself over to Reeve's house as fast as possible.

"Little Tuesti did that _already_? Damn, and I thought just making the little thing was hard enough? He made it talk?!" Reeve instantly felt bad. Captain Highwind actually believed that he'd succeeded in making Cait talk. Lying felt horrible. "Of course ya can go tomorrow. What time?"

"What time, Reeve?" Cid asked, bringing him back to reality.

"Um…noon?" he muttered.

"Okay, noon it is!" Takota agreed. Reeve heard the man leave the room. For a moment, the line was silent.

"Tomorrow…It's less than twelve hours away, mate. Don't die on me yet!" Cid commanded. Reeve gulped as he heard Cid hang up. Shera was still on the line, though.

"Reeve?"

"Yes, Shera?"

"I read somewhere once that the Undead don't like water…so…um….maybe you can take a glass of water into your room or something…I also heard they can't stand gold…" Shera whispered, her voice shaking.

"Oh…okay…" Reeve gulped again.

"Oh, and Reeve?"

"Yes?"

"Please don't die." Shera hung up the phone with that final note. Reeve held the phone to his ear, listening to the silence for awhile before hanging up.

"Tomorrow at noon!" He yelled to his father.

"Good to hear that, Reeve….are you going to bed now?" his father questioned when Reeve walked into the kitchen.

"Um, yeah…just getting a…glass of water. Just in case I get thirsty, you know." Samuel nodded and didn't think anything of it.

"Goodnight Dad. Tell Mom that too, when she gets home."

"Wonder what's keeping her…"

"Oh, she stopped at a friend's in Sector 3. She called earlier, sorry…" Reeve replied, smiling. Sam nodded.

"Alright, have a good sleep."

"You too, Dad," Reeve said, slipping off to his room. He put the cup of water on his nightstand. He tucked himself into bed, closing his eyes and began to drift of to sleep.

_You saw me die…And yet, you do nothing about it? Wouldn't someone do something if they saw __**you**__ die?_

Reeve opened his eyes, staring around his empty room. Shacking his head, he closed his eyes again.

_I didn't want to die, you know. Especially not to _him_. It's embarrassing, really. I __**saw **__the damn gun and everything…_

Reeve's eyes shot open again. This time, the voice didn't stop.

_You know what's funny, kid? I really don't think I'm _dead_ yet. Strange, no? I only got my _heart_ shot out. Nothing big, right?_

Reeve bolted from his bed and down the hall, to his parents' room. He slipped in and dug through his mother's jewelry box until he found her gold bracelet that his father had given her last year. He slipped it around his wrist and ran back to the safety of his room. Diving under the covers, he shivered, waiting for the voice of the dead Turk to talk again. But nothing came, and after an hour of waiting in unbearable fear, Reeve gave up.

"If you're going to kill me, stop taking so long," he muttered, turning over and falling asleep.

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**A/N:** Read and Review, if you can! Next chapter stars Cid and Shera, along with Reeve. And you'll learn a bit about Shera, at least, a past I think fits. Thank you for reading:-) 


	3. Chapter 2: Recognition

**A/N:** Yeah, thank you to all my readers and reviewers! I'm on fire, baby! And I haven't even got flamed yet! Okay, so I'm being attacked by homework, so I might update again today, or I might not.

**To my reviewers**: I'm going to need a lot of extra characters in the next chapter, and wondered if you'd allow me to have you all make a cameo apperience. It'll save me the trouble with having to come up with names...

Actually, any of my readers can submit a character to make a cameo in this story. Just message me or put it in your review. Trust me, most cameos will be relivant.

Oh, and Read and Review please! Flames welcome, for it's cold where I am.

**Disclamers:** Same as before.

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Nobody's Listening

Chapter 2: Recognition

Reeve learned quickly that pacing didn't help calm the mind. He thought it did, seeing as his father did it all the time when he was angry. Of course, his father probably hadn't witnessed a murder.

But what if he had?

Reeve had been contemplating this all morning. He'd forced himself to smile and laugh all the way through breakfast and was now trying to keep all the food down. His nerves were making him unwell. That, coupled with the guilt from dragging his two friends into this mess, was causing him to be quiet distraught. Cait sat on the bed, turned off. Reeve hated when he did that to the robot. Sure, it was just a robot and all, but it felt like he was putting the cat into a coma or something, forcing it to do something it probably didn't want to.

Of course, Reeve had always been told he'd had an over active imagination.

Was it just him, or was time passing slower than the complete process of making materia? Ever second he'd stare at the clock, hoping to see it change. He knew he was being incredibly impatient, but hey! It's a life or death situation here!

_Calm down, kid! No one's gonna kill you in your own home. You're wearing a whole through your floor from all that pacing._

Reeve stopped pacing with a jolt. There it was again. The voice…

"I'm going crazy…" Reeve muttered. "My nerves and pure fear of unnatural creatures have affected my mind and now I'm _hearing_ things."

_Seeing things, too. Don't look up._

Reverse psychology. Reeve looked up and held back a scream.

The dead Turk was _there_.

In _his _room.

_Sitting_ in a chair.

Staring at _him_.

Oh, and he was smiling.

SMILING?!

_Kid, if your eyes pop out any further, they're going to fall out. _

Reeve shut his eyes, counted to ten, and opened them again. The Turk was still there, still smiling, still waiting…probably ready to kill him.

"This can't be happening. I'm going crazy!" Reeve said. The man just sighed and rolled his eyes.

_You just said that._

Reeve just stared at him. "Go away, please."

_What if I don't want to? I don't take orders from an eight year old, thank you._

"Actually, now, you don't take orders from anyone," Reeve retorted. "And I'm twelve!"

_Eight, twelve, same difference. You're still a kid. You still can't protect yourself._

"Makes it easier to kill me, doesn't it?" Reeve said.

_Yeah, if you're in to that sort of thing. Which Hojo is, unfortunately for you. _

"Oh? And _you're_ not going to kill me?"

_What? Hey, kid, just because I'm a Turk doesn't mean I kill every man, woman, and child I run into. I still have a heart, damn it._

"You mean, you _had_ a heart."

_Not funny._

"Wasn't trying to be. And my name's Reeve, not 'Kid'."

_Nice to meet you, Reeve, he who can't keep his nose out of other people's business. I am…was…Vincent._

"That wasn't funny either, _Vincent_."

_I wasn't trying to be funny either, _Reeve. _Plus it's true, isn't it? You're a pretty good little spy._

"Whatever. Do you have a last name, Mr. Vincent?"

_Valentine. Make fun of it, and I blow your head off._

"I bet you hate February 14th."

_Yes. For multiple reasons. Any other stupid questions you want to ask?_

"Nope."

_Why were you in Nibelhiem last week?_

"Why do you ask?" Reeve eyed the undead marksman; still sure that he was losing his mind.

_I was wondering if you make it a habit to play with fire._

"No, that was the first time I've ever seen anyone killed, if you must know. And my dad was there for business, to answer your first question."

_Business? Your dad a ShinRa spook?_

"Yes, but he's not a 'spook', Mr. Valentine."

_What's he do, then? Work in Urban Development or something?_

"Yeah, so? He's the head of that department." The Turk stared at him, mouth turned up slightly in a grin. He then shook his head, laughing. It sent a violent shiver down Reeve's spine.

_You're a _Tuesti_. Should have known. Well, that little tid-bit just made this job a whole lot harder for the both of us._

"B-both of…"

_Yeah. Hojo, who's trying to kill you, and me, who's trying to protect you. _

Reeve said nothing.

_You didn't think I'd kill the messenger, did you? Real foolish, kid. Midgar really needs a Witness Protection Program, don't you think? _

Silence.

_Oh well…Your friends are here. _

Sure enough, Reeve heard his mother calling. "Reeve! Cid and Shera are here!"

_I think I know the red head…_

Reeve stared at the man, gulped, and then turned to open his door. When he looked back, the spirit was gone.

"Oh man…" Cid said, for what seemed like the millionth time this hour. Reeve sighed. This was the fourth time he'd replayed the video for Cid and Shera via Cait's camera. Shera had remained silent the whole time, a contemplating look on her face. Cid was verbally expressing his emotions, mostly by using the swear words his father used so often.

"What are we going to do?" Cid moaned. Shera just leaned closer to the projection screen, what Reeve had set up to help make viewing easier. They'd had to keep the volume down, because Cid's and Reeve's mothers were in the kitchen, located too close to Reeve's room.

"I don't know," Reeve replied to Cid. He really was at a loss for what to do.

"I know this guy…What did you say his name was?" Shera said, pointing to the Turk, whose picture was frozen on the screen.

"Vincent. Vincent Valentine," Reeve stated. Cid snorted.

"Valentine? As in the holiday?" he asked, chuckling. Reeve's eyes went wide as he remembered the Turk's words, _Make fun of it, and I blow your head off._ He gulped, praying that the apparition of the dead man was gone.

"Vincent….where _have_ I heard that name…" Shera said, backing up and tapping her chin. A sickening thought struck Reeve, and he looked to Cid, only to see the same realization hit him as well.

"Shera…you don't think he was involved with _that incident_, was he?" Reeve asked softly. Shera looked up at him, and her eyes lit up.

"That's it!" Reeve felt his stomach drop. "He's the one who _saved_ me!"

"Wha?" Cid asked. Reeve's mouth fell open.

"Remember? Back when I was….um…a…s…s…sl…" Shera tried to finish the sentence but was unable to.

"Slave?" Cid muttered mournfully. Shera nodded her head vigorously.

"Yes, that's the word…a sl...a….oh, you get it!" Both Reeve and Cid nodded, for both knew why Shera could not say the word 'slave' to save her life.

"Anyway, he's the one who brought me to the Captain's house! I remember him!" Shera said, excitedly. She smiled broadly, and then her face fell. Without warning, she started to cry.

"Ah! Shera, what's wrong?!" Cid yelped. Despite seeing his best friend in tears, Reeve couldn't help but smile. Cid was so protective of Shera. They were going to get married one day, he knew it.

"I never said thank you!" Shera sobbed. "He saved my life and I never thanked him!"

Reeve nodded as Cid brought Shera in for a close hug. She sobbed quietly into his chest, giving Reeve time to recollect.

_That incident_ was Shera's past. Basically the first nine years of her life had been spent in one of the jail cells at the center of the biggest slave ring in the world. And the whole thing had been underground, no one knowing anything about it (except for those involved, of course), until one of the slavers made a bad choice.

Basically, they'd kidnapped the Vice President of ShinRa Manufacturing.

Within a week, the Turks had found the establishment, the leaders, and their VP. In the process, they'd destroyed the ring and most of the people who'd worked there, freeing the 'slaves' (Reeve shuddered. He _hated_ that word) and making themselves heroes in the process. And you could bet the news was all over it. The Turks, being _heroes_, not assassins, not thieves. _Heroes_. Everyone was amazed.

The most amazing- and most talked about- part was what happened directly after what everyone thought was the end of the slave ring. The Turks, the VP, and the rescue crew were all milling around, trying to figure out the locations of families, homes, etc, when one of the slaves had noticed that someone was missing. That someone, a little girl, in fact, was nowhere to be found. The Turk's field leader had even bolted back into the main building (partially in flames and falling apart now that the Turks were done with it) to look for her.

Reeve now knew that man, the field leader of the Turks, to be none other than Vincent Valentine.

And, just as Vincent disappeared into the building, the missing girl had been found….

…with a gun being pointed to her head by the leader of the slave ring, who, as you can guess, was hysterical and partially insane. That little girl now clutched Cid's shirt and was crying about forgetting to say two words to someone, but if you had been there then, you would have sworn she was going to die.

The man got everyone's attention and started making claims. Basically his freedom, life, and a huge sum of gil in exchange for the girl's life. Then he'd started to count backwards from ten, giving the crowd no time to respond to his requests. Then a shot had sounded off. Everyone had though the man had shot the girl.

So they were all amazed to see the man lying on the ground - dead - and the girl clutching Vincent's chest, the Turk holding a smoking gun off to his side.

That whole incident had been three years ago.

"I owed him so much!" Shera sobbed, bringing Reeve back the present. Cid looked at Reeve, wanting _him_ to cheer Shera up.

"Don't worry, Shera," Reeve said, trying to calm her down. "I bet he understands. You really didn't come out of shock until the year was over, and it took Zel, Cid, and I forever to make you trust guys again. It's not your fault, and you know as well as I do that it's the thought that counts." Shera smiled sadly at him.

Reeve had hopped that mentioning Zel, Shera's friend and another Turk who'd been assigned to the slave ring mission, would cheer her up. She'd lived with him in his apartment in Midgar for a year and a half following her rescue as the blonde-haired Turk had tried to find her a home. He'd also found out how old she was, her name, and that she was an orphan.

Cid and Reeve had secretly agreed that if Zel wasn't a Turk, and a bit older than 23 (his age at the time), he would have probably just adopted Shera in the first place.

Shera nodded, pulling away from Cid and trying to straighten out his shirt. Cid laughed and just pushed her away. For Cid, being neat really didn't matter.

"I just got an idea," Shera said, wiping tears from her eyes. Reeve and Cid looked at her.

"What do you mean?" Reeve asked.

"I've got an idea…about what to do…you know, about Hojo and everything." When Reeve and Cid said nothing, she continued, "You know how Zel's a Turk?"

"Yes?" Reeve and Cid prompted.

"I bet he was friends with Vincent. Which means he'll be on our side. And it'll be good to have adult help, right?"

"Right…"

"So we should go to Zel. He could help us get evidence and we could put this case to rest! We could even prevent Vincent from becoming a zombie!" Shera seemed so proud of herself, but Reeve could understand. He knew that Zel would be a good addition to this rag-tag group, especially because the Turk was the world's greatest hacker and a pretty good pilot.

Plus he was handy with a sword.

"Yeah, let's go to Zel…" Reeve said. Cid jumped up from the bed, just about hitting Shera in the process. He didn't seem to notice, though Shera didn't seem to mind.

"I'll go as my mom if it's okay if Dad takes Shera and me into work tomorrow. Come on, Reeve, you do the same!" With that, Cid grabbed Reeve and bolted from the room, leaving Shera sitting there.

Shera didn't get up to leave just yet. She looked at the picture still on the projection screen and sighed quietly.

"Um…I know you probably…can't hear me…and that you're…um…dead now…but I…I just wanted to say thank you…" she told the screen, "You saved my life a while back…I never got to repay you for your kindness…So…I'm going to all I can to help now…I hope that counts…." She then turned of the screen and picked Cait up off the bed. Looking up at the ceiling, she whispered. "Thank You, Mr. Vincent Valentine."

It was strange, because as she was walking out of the room, Shera swore she heard something. But, after looking around and listening, she settled for the sound being the wind blowing outside the house.

Though she could have sworn it was a voice.

A voice saying _You're welcome. _

* * *

**Zel is an origonal charracter. He origonally appeared as a sub character in the previous one shots "Warning from the Shadows" and "Trust me, that ain't pudding"**

**A/N** Wow! This was longer than I thought it would be. Oopse! Oh well, the next chapter is humerous, but every thing is when Zel is involved. Please Review! Oh, and if anyone is intrested in me writing a compainion story involving Shera's past (at least, how I see it), please contact me! If I get enough intrest, I might.


	4. Chapter 3: Walk it out

**A/N: Woot! Chapter Three! This is full of humor, FYI. **

**Also, it transfers between a lot of different people's point of views. It should be fairly obvious who's view it is, but if you can't tell, mail me and I'll explain.**

**Thank you to all my reviewers/favoritvers/alerters. You guys are awsome! **

**Special thanks: DreamlessRiver**

**Read and Review please! Thank you for your support:-)**

* * *

Nobody's Listening

Chapter Three: Walk It Out

Zel paced back and forth outside of Verdot's, the head of the Turks, office. He was so focused on catching the department head before he left that he'd staked out this spot since lunch.

Yesterday.

Planning on making up the work he missed (which wasn't much, he hoped), he'd paced back and forth, waiting for Verdot to be off the phone with the president, out of whatever meetings via telecom, and done with all his paper work.

Zel was slightly surprised that Verdot didn't take one break during the last 24 hours, for if he did, he would have run right into Zel. But then again, Vincent was known for going weeks without sleep and only taking two minute breaks every 16 hours or so for necessities (food/water/bathroom). That's just how dedicated Vincent was.

This was why it was strange that Vincent hadn't check in with anyone in a week.

This was why Zel was pacing back and forth in front of Verdot's door. He wanted news. _Badly_.

Because Zel, like so many of the other Turks, owed Vincent his life, only it was different for Zel.

No, dear reader, Zel is _not_ gay.

It was different for Zel because not only did Vincent save his life, he'd been given a home by the Valentine's, and resided there from the age of 12 to 22.

So, Vincent was Zel's older brother, by exactly one year and one hour. (Ironically, they'd been born on the same day, a year and an hour apart.) Though Zel was never legally adopted into the Valentine family, he still considered the late Grimore Valentine his father and the missing Vincent his older brother.

It often confused people when Zel introduced himself as Vincent's brother, for they couldn't be _more_ different from each other. Vincent was tall, dark, silent, and brooding. Zel, on the other hand, had been short (somewhere around 5'3) most of his life until his recent growth spurt allowed him to reach 5'8. He had blonde hair and bright blue eyes, and was _always_ smiling, _always_ in motion, and _never_ thought before he acted.

(Kind of like a blonde Reno.)

Okay, he was working on the whole 'think then act' thing.

Zel was so focused on his pacing that he didn't hear Verdot's door open.

CRACK!

"Zel! Good God, man! Are you alright?" Verdot said, crouching next to the blonde Turk.

"My head! My dignity!" Zel moaned, holding his head. Laughter came from those in the hallway, most of which were fellow Turks. (This was their floor, you know). A crowd had gathered now that Verdot was there. Verdot pretended not to notice them, but he knew why they were all there.

"That had to hurt. You slammed into the door pretty hard." Verdot helped Zel up, smiling. Zel instantly noticed there was no happiness behind that smile.

"Nothing?" he whispered. He knew he wouldn't have to explain to Verdot what that one word meant. Not in this situation.

"As of now, Agent Vincent Valentine is missing in action…" Verdot replied gravely. Zel stared silently at the man.

"What?! No fing way!" a voice called from the crowd of Turks.

"Vinnie's gone? Send out a search party!" yelled another.

"Who's gonna replace _him_?"

"No one, he was perfect!" Zek noted, to himself, that the person who'd yelled that sounded like a girl. Verdot noted that as well.

"Seriously, search party!" the voice repeated. Verdot looked to see who that voice belong to and grinned slightly when he saw it belonged to Petri, a newer gunner Turk who idolized Vincent and Zel. Petri's persistence brought out new ideas in the others.

"Drop what you're doing, let's go find him!"

"Who needs the paperwork anyway?"

"Let's go get Vinnie!"

"Damn, I hope he's alright…"

"I'd bet my life _Hojo's_ behind this," a softer voice said. Verdot recognized that voice too. It belonged to River, a long-sword wielding Turk who'd come into the force three months after Vincent. If Verdot remembered right, Zel was currently living with her, after his apartment burned down under 'unknown circumstances' (Okay, who gave Zel the lighter???). Her comment brought silence to the whole crowd, a feat not to be taken lightly. Getting the Turks to shut up normally took fifteen minutes.

And yet they were all silent.

Because everyone _knew _she was right.

"That son of a…" Zel started, but was cut off by…

"What's going on here?" Half the crowd of Turks groaned. Verdot almost did himself, but held back.

Because walking down the hallway at that very moment was the last person on the Planet that any of the Turks wanted to see.

"It's…_nothing_, President," Zel said quickly, trying to quiet the groaning group. He failed.

"Then what are you all doing, hmm?" President ShinRa asked his tone anything BUT friendly.

"Organizing an intel mission on the whereabouts of Agent V. Valentine, with all respect, Sir," Zel replied cordially. Verdot had to admit, Zel could put on an act if he had to.

"Why?" The President sneered. Gasps and mutters spread through the group. River, who'd moved up to stand next to Zel, exchanged a look with Verdot. Her eyebrow was raised in the silent question "Can I kill him now, _please_?"

"Because, Sir, he hasn't reported in since-"

"Turks go missing or die all the time, Zel. Why is this any different than the _other_ times?" The President interrupted. For a moment, Zel was speechless.

So River jumped in.

"Actually, Sir, no Turks have been reported missing and/or died in the last _six years_," she pointed out. "The worst causality was broken bones, and one of us-remaining nameless, of course- was hospitalized for about a week. There have been no deaths or disappearances since Agent Valentine entered the force, Sir." Zel grinned. River and her statistics always came through…where and what would he be without her?

Well, very lonely, for one, but that's beside the point…

"Do you have any concrete proof of this?" ShinRa retorted, crossing his arms.

"I put it on your desk this morning," was River's curt reply, followed by a few snickers.

"Did you now?"

"Yes, Sir, I did. So can we-"

"No." Verdot and Zel did everything they could to hold back the crowd of Turks and keep them from attacking the President.

"What's wrong with you?!"

"We've got to find Vincent!"

"We're assassins, right? Take _him_ out!" Those were just some of the shouts…the more _appropriate _ones, at least.

"SHUT UP!" The President yelled. Shocked silence followed. (Verdot sneered. How come everyone could shut these people up so easily, but he couldn't get them to sit still for longer than a minute?!)

That silence? It was deafening. So Zel broke it.

"You can't stop us."

"What did you just…?"

"You can't stop us, _Sir_," Zel sneered. Smiles appeared on his fellows' faces. They all knew what was coming.

"I bet I can, _Turk_," ShinRa replied.

"Nu-uh, not me. I _quit,_ ass wipe." The look on the President's face was priceless.

"You wha…"

"And you know what? I'm gonna tell you something I've wanted to say ever since I walked into this hell hole…" With all the pride he could muster, (Which was a lot, Zel has an ego) he lifted both of his hands and gave ShinRa the bird. "Fuck you, ShinRa! Have a nice life in _hell_!"

"HOORAY!" yelled the Turks, in perfect unison. Zel turned and ran down the hall, laughing manically. He stopped at the elevators and looked to his comrades.

"One last order, for Vincent!" he called, "Walk it out, Turks!" He then decided to take the stairs and disappeared down the dark stairwell.

* * *

Fameos, one of the only sane scientists ShinRa Inc. had employed, (the others being the previous Department Head, Grimore Valentine…and he was dead, and Professor Gast, who was MIA.), yawned and looked around the empty lab. Something had woken him up from his nap. Well, he was supposed to be working, but…well, a nap sounded better. 

_Bzzzt._

"Huh? Oh, it's my phone!" he reached over and picked it up. "Hello, last sane scientist left alive at ShinRa, how can I help you?"

"Hey dude, it's River."

"Hi River! How are you?" Fameos replied brightly.

"Just delivering a message from Zel."

"Oh? And that is?" He felt a smile grow.

"Walk it out!" River hung up with a laugh. Fameos laughed too, closing his phone and standing up. He quickly walked to the neighboring lab, where all the other scientists were eating lunch.

"Hey guys! Good news! I quit!" he announced. The scientists stared at him, wondering what the heck was going on. "Someone tell Hojo that I hope he gets eaten by one of his experiments, would ya?" He turned and started to leave to go pack up his things when someone stopped him.

"Are the Turks rebelling, Sir?" Fameos grinned wolfishly.

"Of course! Why else would I quit?" The scientist who'd spoken smiled too. Fameos knew at that moment that he wasn't leaving here alone.

* * *

Verdot slipped back into his office, shutting his door to the chaos outside. He stared out at the city of Midgar, breathing deeply. 

Everyone was leaving.

Everyone but him.

He looked around mournfully and then walked behind his desk, sitting down in the chair. He rolled up the left sleeve of his jacket and looked at the small scar on his wrist. Implanted there was a tracker. ShinRa could monitor Verdot's ever move, if he wanted to. If Verdot left now, he- and everyone he made contact to- was dead.

Or worse, he'd go "missing," like Vincent.

"Damn it, Valentine…You better not be dead…" he muttered, rubbing his eyes and sighing. He looked at his wrist again and then opened his desk drawer, pulling out a sharp knife and gazed at it.

If a fox was caught in a hunter's trap, the animal would gnaw it's own foot off to escape, rather than die of starvation or by the hunter himself. The fox would forever be crippled, but lives.

Verdot raised the knife up above his left wrist, thinking about this way of nature. He thrust it downward…

…and stabbed it into the desk.

How he wished he could be a fox.

* * *

All around her, hell was breaking loose. River grinned as she gathered up her weapons and other personal belongings and hurried to catch up to Zel. He'd forgotten his house key in all the excitement, which meant he'd be locked out until she got there. That idiot. 

But he was _her_ idiot, and that was all that mattered.

And he'd have to wait a little longer, for she had one last place to stop.

"Verdot?" River said, slipping quietly into her ex-boss's office. Verdot had his head in his hands, a knife sticking out of his desk, and random potted plants strewn across the floor.

"Aren't you leaving, River?" he murmured, not looking up. She smiled sadly.

"Yes sir. Just wanted to say something first…." That got Verdot's attention. He looked up, staring her straight in the eyes.

"We'll come back for you." His eyes widened.

"Wha?"

"I know about that tracker, and about how ShinRa has your life in a box. Zel's been working on a way to hack the system and deactivate the tracking system. When that happens, we'll be back. And you'll be free….I promise."

"River…"

"See ya around sometime, Verdot," River smiled, bowing her head slightly and then walking away from his office forever.

* * *

Reeve instantly knew he'd picked the _wrong_ day to find Zel. He, his father, Cid, Shera, and Captain Highwind had all walked into the building only to find all hell breaking loose. 

People were everywhere, many taking all of their belongings and bolting out the door. Others were trying to get people to stay. Everywhere you looked, there were arguments. And no one had any idea what had started.

And then they'd found Zel.

"Hey, Tuesti! Highwind!" Zel called, smiling and walking over to them. "Like what I've done with the place?"

"And what exactly _have_ you done, Zel?" Reeve's father asked. Zel smiled, as he walked over and picked up Shera, giving her a quick hug before answering.

"Got my revenge."

"For _what_?" Cid asked, grinning.

"My brother went missing. ShinRa wouldn't let me go look for him, so I'm going on my own…and taking half the company with me!" Zel laughed. "Wanna come?" Captain Highwind and Reeve's father exchanged worried looks. Zel's smile faltered.

"Not you guys too…" he said, setting Shera down. Shera looked up at Zel, worried expression on her face. Reeve's face mirrored that look.

"'fraid so…" Captain Highwind muttered.

"No…no…_shit_ no! You guys…you have _kids_. You've got _lives_! You've got…"

"No way out…" Tuesti replied. Cid and Shera looked at each other, visibly confused. No way out of what?

But Reeve had stopped listening. His attention was focused on the door. Or, more importantly, what had walked through the door.

Hojo.

Hojo was here. Right now.

And he'd seen Reeve.

Reeve's body froze up. The air around him felt like lead. It was hard to move, hard to breath. He knew he was dead. Hojo would probably shoot him right now and blame it on Zel or something. He tried to swallow the lump in his throat, reaching for Cid and Shera, but both were too far away for him to reach.

He was surrounded by people, but oh so very alone.

Or so he thought.

What Reeve didn't notice was that, as Hojo made his slow approach, Zel had also been moving towards him. He didn't notice Zel watching Reeve's every move, every facial expression. He didn't even notice Zel was right behind him until he spoke.

"Nobody listening, little one? 'Cause, if that's the case…I will…" Reeve had no chance to respond, because before he knew it, he'd found himself lifted off the ground and thrown over Zel's shoulder. Then Zel grabbed Shera and held her tightly to his chest.

"Hehe…hostages…" Zel muttered, before bolting towards the door, knocking a bewildered Hojo out of the way.

Cid was the first to react. He sprung from his father's side and bolted after Zel, swearing enough to make even a sailor cry. Samuel and Takota tried to follow but were blocked by Hojo, who was yelling curses after the fleeting ex-Turk.

"Zel!" Samuel yelled, in vain. The Turk didn't stop. He didn't even look back. He just escaped into the streets, Cid on his heels. They were all soon out of view.

* * *

Ten minutes later, Hojo sat in President ShinRa's office, scowling angrily. Firstly, he was called here for no apparent reason and taken away from his very important work. And then, when he'd gotten here, he'd found the witness to his past…deeds. He'd been just about to confront the little runt when a blonde haired nutcase had ruined everything. 

So he was in a bad mood, and was prepared to take it out on anyone.

Unfortunately for him, so was the person he was meeting.

"Explain. _Now_!" ShinRa ordered.

"I've eradicated my problems and am now continuing with my research on the JENOVA project," Hojo replied snootily.

"Then what happened to Valentine?"

"He was one of the 'problems'."

"I know that! Where's his body?!" ShinRa yelled. Hojo grinned.

"Somewhere…"

"Have you thought about this yet? How are you going to cover this up?!"

"Oh, I have that covered."

"Really?" ShinRa was not impressed. So Hojo demonstrated.

"I really don't understand what happed, sir," Hojo said, feigning innocence. "One minute, Agent Valentine and I where talking, and the next moment he had a gun in his hands. By the time I realized what he was doing, I was too late. It seems our respected gunman has taken his own life, sir…" Hojo smiled at this statement. "Blew a hole clean through his head."

ShinRa couldn't help it. He smiled too.

"What about him missing a heart?" he asked. He wasn't surprised to see Hojo already had that covered too.

Hojo threw a file onto the President's desk. "27 year old male, blood type A , organ donor. Never smoked, drank only occasionally, perfect health and rarely ever got sick. Perfect cover up, set up by Vincent's own hands." He laughed. ShinRa looked over the file-Vincent's medical records- and laughed slightly too.

"Who would have thought the man was setting up his own demise. So, you are just going to say you donated his organs?"

"It's what he wanted," Hojo responded. Suddenly, ShinRa laughed. "What?"

"Look, last line." He threw the file back to Hojo. Hojo opened it and looked at the last line. The question was: Upon death, would you allow your body to be donated to science?

Vincent's reply?

_Not even in death, Hojo._

Hojo laughed at the irony.

* * *

Vincent smiled. He knew Hojo couldn't see him, and neither could that lard-ass ShinRa. This made it even more entertaining as they basically laid out their whole plan, totally unaware that Vincent was listening in to the whole thing. 

And Vincent knew something Hojo didn't.

Dead men could still talk.

Vincent cracked his knuckles, chuckling darkly to himself. He glared at Hojo, a glare that, later in his life, would be given so much to a group of rag-tag terrorists.

_I'll get my revenge, Hojo. Just you wait._

With that thought, Vincent disappeared from the room, going to catch up to his fleeing brother and little Reeve Tuesti.

* * *

**A/N:** Forgot to mention: Cid's two years older than Reeve...shoulda said that. Sorry. Review please:-) I'll try and update as soon as I can. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Contact me:-) 


	5. Chapter 4: Masks

**A/N:** Okay, sorry it took so long to update! I was working on the companion story about Shera. The first two chapters are up for that one. If you're interested, please read!

Okay, I'm done advertising!

Thank you to all my loyal readers. Special thanks to all my reviewers: Arieth-Rain, winterrosa, Jebediah Sprinklefield, and DreamlessRiver.

Please read and review if you get a chance! Thanks for sticking with me:-)

Oh, right, same disclamers as before.

* * *

Nobody's Listening

Chapter 4: Masks

"Zel? ZEL! Put us down!" Reeve yelled. He was very uncomfortable being where he was. It wasn't that he was afraid of heights or anything (Zel really wasn't that tall anyway), it was just he was beginning to think he would have rather faced the lunatic Hojo than Zel. Because, though it was _extremely_ rare, when Zel lost control of his emotions, he basically became a hurricane. Nothing and no one could stop him, with a few exceptions.

Because how else would Zel react after learning his brother was dead?

Luckily, one of those 'exceptions' was cradled in Zel's arms. Reeve said a silent prayer to the Gaia thanking it for allowing Shera to still be here. He and Cid would be in _deep_ trouble if she wasn't here right now.

"What? Don't like being carried off?" Zel joked. Reeve scoweled as the ex-Turk put him on the ground. He offered to let go of Shera, but she didn't want to get down so Zel just moved her to his back and kept walking.

They'd stopped running as soon as Zel'd made it to the Sector Seven Slums, where he and River lived. According to Zel, they'd taken the long way because he didn't want to go through Wall Market. When Shera had asked him why, Zel had just replied with silence and looked straight ahead, muttering something about stupid people with cameras, loosing a bet, why wigs suck, and his total hatred of the color pink.

Cid finally had caught up with them about that time as well, giving Zel another excuse not to answer. Cid was out of breath but still really angry at that point, so Zel had to explain that everyone was fine and he was just playing around.

Then Reeve had explained to Cid and Shera about seeing Hojo, and the pilot's son had calmed down.

"Anyway, we're at my place, so let's just go inside so you can tell me all about this..." Zel said, trying the door to River and his apartment. He looked at the door and tried again. "Hehe...locked...where's my key?" Zel began searching in his pockets, his shoes, jacket, basically anywhere you could put a key, he looked. He produced his ID, a wallet, lock picks, a few knives of varying lengths, bullets, lint, his keys for his motorcycle, a dog collar, a cell phone, pocket change, paper clips, a stick of gum, beer can tabs, used tissues, a small vial of lighter fluid, copper wire, matches, breath mints, nails, instructions on the uses of poison, duct tape, candy, a stale piece of bread, origami, melted chocolate, dead lady bugs, sewing kit (Rivers?), bobby pins, earrings (Zel's ears are pierced), a train ticket, what looked like a detention device for a bomb, a pocket drive, a memory card, random pieces of paper, receipts, hook shot, Verdot's ID, pocket watch, and a hair ribbon. And those were just his pants pockets. It seemed to the three onlookers that Zel could store an insane amount of useless items on his person but noting of which he could use. After about fifteen minutes of fruitless searching, Zel kicked the door out of anger. "Sh...oot!" he said, barely censoring himself in time. Reeve, Cid, and Shera all looked at each other and then at him, slightly confused.

"Uh...I think I left my key at the building..." Zel said, scratching the back of his head dumbly before proceeding to stuff all of the junk back into their places.

"So we're locked out?" Shera asked, giggling. Reeve and Cid could only guess that this was a reoccurring habit with Zel, who could remember all kinds of statistics, names, places, junk, and other seemingly useless information (unless you're a Turk), but couldn't remember his house key.

"Not a problem! I'll just pick the lock..." he replied, pulling out a lock pick from his pocket and proceeding to pick the lock. "Heh, breaking in to my own house...again..." he shook his head.

"This happen often, Zel?" Cid asked, laughing.

"Aw, shuddaup little Highwind," Zel said, scowling. A few minutes later he had completed his task and they could gain access into the building. He opened the door for them and ushered them inside, muttering something about having to change the locks and get new keys. Shera jumped off his back and proceeded to make herself at home. Cid followed after her, proceeding to the living room. Reeve, who'd never been here, just stood in the doorway awkwardly.

Zel and River's house was fairly nice for a place in the slums. It was four rooms- one bed room, a living/dinning room /kitchen, a bathroom, and an office. Reeve could only guess the office was full of Zel's computers. He had to practice hacking _somewhere._

"Who gets the bedroom?" Cid yelled from the living room. He and Shera were sitting on the couch.

"Whoever gets in from a mission first," Zel stated, before muttering, "So I normally get the couch..." Reeve followed after Zel, chuckling softly. He took his place on the couch next to Shera, smiling slightly. He had begun to forget about the fear of the past week.

Zel began to pace, biting his thumb and watching Reeve out of the corner of his eye. "Well?" he said, still watching Reeve, "Gonna speak?" Shera and Cid looked at Reeve, expecting him to say something. But the boy was silent. Zel stopped pacing and chewed on his thumb, waiting.

This silent treatment continued for an eternity and a half before Zel spoke again.

"Look, Tuesti, you can either tell me exactly why Hojo seems to want to kill you and what information the crazy scientist is after, or I can force the information out of you. I'm not above torture, you know." Reeve looked up at him, glaring.

"You wouldn't torture a kid," he stated, crossing his arms.

"Tuesti, I'm an ex-Turk. There aren't a lot a'things I won't do. Unfortunately for you, torture is something I do, and quiet frequently. I advise you to start talking." Reeve couldn't help but be slightly surprised by this statement. He knew the Turks weren't nice people, but he really didn't think Zel had it in him to torture anybody. He'd seen Zel start panicking and swearing he'd be going to Hell because he killed a fly on accident. He couldn't see him torturing, let alone _killing_ anyone. But he knew Zel had before, and multiple times in fact.

Zel was an ex-Turk, after all.

"You can't make me talk, Turk," Reeve said, smiling. Zel smiled back.

"If you say so," he replied. Then he walked over to Reeve and picked him up by his ankles, holding him upside down.

"Hey! What are you doing?!" Reeve asked, all the blood rushing to his head.

"Torturing you," Zel grinned.

"Let me go!" Reeve ordered.

"Not until you tell me what's up," he replied.

"Cid, Shera, help me!"

"We're staying out of this, mate," Cid replied.

"Traitor!"

"Just tell me, Reeve," Zel said.

"You'll hurt me! Or you won't believe me. One of the two..." Reeve said, beginning to get very dizzy.

"I promise to believe you and to not hurt you," Zel said sincerely. Reeve sighed.

"I saw someone get murdered..." Reeve said. "By...by Hojo." Zel nodded.

"Doesn't surprise me," Zel said. "Who was it?" Reeve gulped.

"Vincent Valentine." Zel let go of Reeve's feet and he dropped to the ground. "You said you wouldn't drop me!" Reeve shouted, holding his head. Zel didn't reply. He just stood there, hands hanging limply to his side. He blinked a few times and then turned away from them.

"Shera, cover your ears please..." he muttered. Shera did so, and Zel began to yell every curse word imaginable, in multiple different languages. When he was finished, Cid nodded.

"Yeah...that's what we said," he muttered. Shera broke down in tears again. Reeve just watched at Zel's carefully made porcelain mask, his façade he'd hid behind for so many years, the false happiness...it all slowly cracked and broke to pieces.

**

* * *

Back At the ShinRa Building:**

River hurried out into the street, carrying her and Zel's duffle bags. She'd made it to the lobby in one piece, quiet a feat she was proud of. But upon entering the crowded area, she'd immediately been assaulted by two very worried department heads: Mr. Samuel Tuesti and Captain Takota Highwind.

"Get yer raggedy assed boy toy back here with our kids!" the Captain yelled, pointing at River as if all of Zel's actions were her fault. And River knew that's what Captain meant by 'boy toy.' She also noticed that half the lobby was now staring at her.

"I'm sorry, Captain Highwind, but I don't think I know what you're talking about..." River said, trying to push past him. The last thing she wanted Zel to do was break into their house to get in...again.

"What Takota was trying to say is that Zel just kidnapped Shera, Reeve, and Cid and ran off...He was wondering where they might have gone." Good ol' Sam, always got right to the point.

So basically, River had agreed to go find Zel and the kids, and bring Zel back to get his ass kicked by an over-protective ship captain with a strong Texan-accent. This explained why she was running like a madwoman towards her house, duffle bags over her shoulders and scowl on her face.

"Damn it, Zel. Why do you always get yourself in so much trouble?!" she muttered, storming down the street. Zel seemed to be a magnet of trouble, always loosing bets and getting himself into the worst of situations. This was just one more thing to add to the incredibly long list of situations.

River was so focused on her plans on what to do with Zel when she found him that she didn't notice the uneven ground she was walking on and how precariously close to the edge of the Sector Seven Plate she was. She really didn't notice how much danger she was in until she tripped and began to fall towards the slums.

"Wha...Oh my god!" River yelled.

_Dang it, River! Why are you such a klutz all the time?_ River heard someone call. She felt something cold, like the hands of a corpse, grab her and pull her back to safety. She landed with a thud back onto the street, staring up and down the street for her rescuer. But there was no one, only she heard laughter. _Extremely_ familiar laughter.

"V-Vincent?!" River called, looking around and still seeing nothing. She heard the laughter again and jumped up, turning around to see Vincent Valentine leaning against a wall, cocky smile and all. Her mouth dropped open and she squealed with delight.

"Vincent! Oh my god, you're okay!" she said, running up to give him a hug. She knew he hated physical contact, but she didn't care at this moment. But when she finally got close enough to him, she noticed something strange about him. Her run slowed to almost no movement at all.

Vincent was _transparent_.

"No..." she said, feeling tears come to her eyes.

_What? Is my face _that_ hideous? _

"You-you're...Vincent...you're..."

_Dead? Yeah, long story about that...Reeve Tuesti knows it..._

"Wh...what...who?" she asked, staring at the spirit and letting the tears fall. She didn't really care who saw her now.

_Hojo, who else?_

"That good for nothing...!"

_River..._ the girl Turk looked up at him, waiting. He was still her superior, dead or alive. She'd listen, especially if it was important. _You have to protect Reeve, Cid, and Shera._

"Why?"

_Since when did _you_ start asking questions?_ She heard him laugh again. _Can you do that for me?_

River could do nothing else but nod. Vincent's ghost smiled. _Good girl,_ he said, nodding. He turned and started walking down the street, slowly disappearing as he got farther away.

"Vincent!" she yelled, her whole body shaking. The apparition stopped and looked back at her. "Don't...go..." she whispered.

_But I have to, River. Oh, can you take care of Zel for me? He'll probably be an emotional wreck for awhile._

"I will...but..."

_And River?_

"Yes Vincent?"

_Don't forget that promise you made me..._ With that, Vincent was gone. River dropped her cargo and fell to her knees, sobbing uncontrollably.

"I will!" she screamed. "I promise I will!"

People die all the time. River herself had killed many. But seeing her former leader, her friend, now knowing he was really dead and there was absolutely no hope for him to come back, she felt lost.

"It was better not knowing..." she whispered to no one. "And to still have hope..." She stood up, not knowing how she would break the news to Zel.

"It was better...when we all still had hope..."

* * *

Ever notice how, in most RPGs, the heros care an insane amount of stuff in their pockets? Well, this is me making fun of that fact by making Zel have seemingly endless space in his pockets.

**A/N: **Thank you for reading!


	6. Chapter 5: Call on Line Five

**A/N: This is more populare than I thought it would be. Thank you to all my readers/reviewers! You're all so kind! **

**This is just a random question, but who is your favorite character in this fanfiction? Notify me with an answer if you feel like it, thanks!**

**Hope you enjoy the next instalment! Same disclamers as the prologue, so don't sue me! ;-)**

* * *

Nobody's Listening

Chapter Five: Call on Line Five

Reeve, Cid, and Shera were out of breath. Just minutes after Reeve had told Zel about Vincent, the ex-Turk had made a break for the door, trying to head back to the building rip Hojo to itsy-bitsy tiny bits.

This Reeve was totally okay with, but Cid and Shera weren't. Something could go wrong, they said. Hojo'd killed one Turk already; he could probably easily kill Zel.

Plus they had no proof.

So Cid had slide-tackled the blonde ex-Turk and Shera had stood in front of the door, refusing to budge even an inch. Zel had begged and pleaded, but the little redhead stayed put. Cid and Reeve had wondered why he just didn't pick her up and move her, but then again, Zel was Zel. He never thought clearly, especially when he was an emotional wreck.

Zel had then retreated to the living room and begun to pace again. Shera had taken this moment to bolt into the kitchen. She returned with every sharp object she could find in her arms and proceeded to lock them all in the cabinet. Zel had watched her with a look of pure betrayal, but Reeve could only imagine that this wasn't the first time Shera had done something like this. He knew for a fact that Zel was truly an emotional wreck, and that his seemingly constant happiness was just a very strong façade.

With all the sharp objects stored away and Shera being the only one with a key, Reeve had calmed down just a bit. He didn't think Zel had any other means to hurt himself or others.

But then he'd remembered the matches.

Which puts them back into the present, with Cid and Shera totally out of breath from trying to stop Zel from leaving the building or hurting himself, and Reeve trying desperately to get the matches from a fire-loving madman.

"Give them here," he said, holding out a hand to Zel, who looked back at him dumbly.

"What'cha mean? I don't have _any_ clue what you want, Tuesti…" Zel said, smiling innocently.

"Give me the matches, Zel."

"What are ya, my mom? I am fourteen years your senior, mister. I don't take orders from you."

"You have the mental capacity of an eight year old, Zel. That makes me four years _your_ senior. Hand them over," Reeve countered.

"Hey! I'm smarter than you'll ever be! Just because I don't act like it doesn't mean you have to judge my mental capacity!"

"You're not smarter than me," Reeve said, crossing his arms and looking defiant. Cid and Shera exchanged a glance. Cid knew Reeve was extremely intelligent, and Shera knew the serious side of Zel, the side that had a brain and actually _used _it. They had told each other this before, so now they didn't know what to say.

"Am too!"

"Are not!"

"Am too!"

"Are not!"

"TOO!"

"NOT!"

"Zel, can _I_ have the matches?" Shera asked quietly. She stood before Zel, her hands clasped in front of her and looking positively angelic. The look on her face said _you'd have to be a heartless bastard not to do what I say_. Zel looked down at her, biting his tongue. Shera made eye contact with him, smiling innocently. Finally Zel handed over the matches to the waiting girl, looking like a kid who'd just got caught eating the last cookie from the cookie jar.

"Thank you, Zel," Shera said, giggling and heading for the cabinet.

"How did you do that?!" Cid asked, staring wide-eyed at Shera.

"'Cause I'm cute," Shera said, laughing. "Zel's one weakness is cute things."

"See Highwind? That's why you've got _no_ power over me," Zel said stubbornly. Cid smiled for a moment before Zel's words struck home.

"HEY! NOT FUNNY!"

"I thought it was funny," Reeve vouched, smiling. He moved out of the way of Zel, who'd started to pace…_again._

That's when Zel bolted towards the door…again.

* * *

River ran towards her house, her conversation with dead Vincent Valentine replaying on repeat like a broken record through her head. Many thoughts ran through her head as well, giving her a major head ache.

_What did Reeve know? How did this all tie in? Who was in the most danger? How does this affect all of us? Is Vincent's death foreshadowing something? Why did Vincent have to die? What about that other scientist? _Those questions where just some of the thoughts that made up the traffic jam that was River's mind. But one kept repeating, over and over.

_How didn't we see this coming? _

"How indeed?" River said bitterly upon arriving at her home. She reached into her pocket for her key but then stopped, knowing Zel had probably picked the lock and was inside already, his 'captives' were also probably sitting on the couch watching TV or something. She threw the door open and stormed into the living room.

And was promptly greeted with a sight she wasn't expecting.

"Hey River!" came a chorus of three voices. River couldn't help but grin. If this had been a real hostage situation, Zel would have failed at his mission…miserably. First of all, Cid was sitting on the cabinet where River would normally store all the weapons in the house, smiling and looking positively innocent.

Cid was never innocent.

Secondly, Reeve was standing near the kitchen, eating and apple and surveying the whole scene. In one hand he held a lighter, which made River think Zel had been trying to set something on fire again. He looked up at her and waved, before looking back towards what he was first staring at. This brought River to the third, and most hilarious, of things.

Zel lay face down on the floor, a very smug looking Shera sitting on his back. Just seeing this made River laugh out loud. She dropped her bags and threw back her head, laughing. She knew the bitterness in her voice hadn't faded, but she couldn't help it.

"Nice going, Zel. You kidnap three kids and they hold _you_ hostage."

"Ut oup!" was Zel's muffled reply. "Ey ook eye atches!"

"What's that? I don't understand idiot." Zel shot up, knocking Shera off his back and onto the floor with a loud THUD.

"Ah! I'm sorry Shera!" Zel said, quickly picking the little girl up and placing her on the couch. Shera just stared at him, smiling all the while.

"You're a dork, _Master_ Zel," she said, giggling. Zel looked mortified. "I'm just kidding!" He relaxed, shaking his head.

"What was that all about?" River asked, referring to what she'd walked in on. She instantly got bombarded by four different stories.

"Well Zel went nuts because.." Cid started.

"I didn't do nothing! The kids wouldn't let me out the door because they thought I was gonna…" Zel cut in.

"Reeve told Zel something and it caused Zel to relapse into a state of depression that made him suicidal…" Shera was saying. River was impressed with the improvement of her vocabulary, but she could hardly understand what she was saying over all the noise.

"Vincent's dead…" Reeve muttered from the kitchen door. Silence settled on the room like gravity. River looked at Reeve, staring him in the eye as she spoke her next line.

"I know."

The oh-so-famous collective gasp and then shout "WHAT?" came from Cid, Shera, and Zel. Reeve just continued to stare down River, waiting for more.

"Vincent told me."

"How?" Zel asked, looking at her like she was mad.

"That's not possible, Miss River," Shera stated.

"Dead people don't talk…" Cid retorted. "Don't they?" But River wasn't listening to them. She was watching Reeve…waiting for his response.

_Yeah, long story about that...Reeve Tuesti knows it..._ That's what Vincent had said. And River wanted to know exactly how much of this "story" Reeve knew.

"I knew I wasn't crazy…" Reeve muttered.

"Huh?" Cid asked. The attention focus went back to Reeve.

"Vincent's _spirit_ told you that, right? That's how _you_ know." It wasn't a question, but a fact. Reeve already knew Vincent refused to die so quickly. River nodded.

"Yeah…Vinnie's ghost popped up and told me he was a goner…" she felt tears gathering in her eyes. "And you know what?"

"What?" Reeve asked. He looked worried.

"I'm going to cry now…" With that, River sunk to her knees for the second time that day and bawled her eyes out.

Isn't strange what the death of one man can do to so many people?

* * *

Reeve watched as Zel hurried over to River, pulling her into a tight embrace and whispering inaudible words into her ear. Cid jumped down from his perch and walked over to sit with Shera. They sat there silently, not having any idea on how to comfort the crying woman.

Zel slowly rocked River back and forth in his arms, almost like he was dancing with her, and kissed her forehead. He removed one hand from the hug and reached into his pocket, pulling out his cell phone. One handedly, he began to type something into the phone.

"What are you doing?" Reeve asked, watching Zel.

"Texting the others…" Reeve didn't have to ask who the "others" were, he knew they were the ex-Turks. "They need to know this…"

"Can I see what you're sending?" Reeve asked, feeling sudden paranoia weighing down on him. Zel nodded and handed him the phone.

This is what Reeve read:

Turks: Vincents dead, killed by Hojo. Got the witness here, reply ASAP. Zel and River. 

"What the heck?" Reeve said, handing the phone back to Zel. "That's not even words!" Shera tugged on Zel's shirt, and he handed her the phone. She looked at it, then at him, then back at it again. Cid looked over her shoulder, rubbing his eyes to try to make since of the thing.

"Dirge's Code..." River muttered, voice muffled by Zel's shoulder.

"Huh?" Cid asked.

"We all had nicknames at Turk. I was Twitch, River was Storm, Verdot was Pops, and so on and so forth," Zel explained.

"So who was Dirge?" Shera asked, still looking at the phone.

"Who else?" River muttered.

So that was _Vincent's_ nickname.

"So what's it say?" Reeve asked.

"'Turks: Vincent's dead, killed by Hojo. Got the witness here, reply ASAP. Zel and River,'" Zel stated, sighing as he pushed send.

"So Vincent made that all up?" Cid asked. "Damn!"

"Yeah. He was the only one with the key too, and he had it stored in his head. We all had to learn from his memory. No paperwork involved. And, as a failsafe, Verdot doesn't know the code," River replied, lifting her head out of Zel's jacket so she could be understood.

"Why not? Isn't that mean? He probably feels left out," Shera stated.

"Not really. He's the only Turk who had to answer directly to the Prez. The rest of us answered to him, Vincent, and sometimes Vice President Lilith. We never made contact with the Big Cheese. So Verdot, if ever questioned, can't be held responsible, thus saving him a lot of pain…" Zel said, shrugging. "Plus he had the BlackOrder Code to deal with anyway."

"The what?" Reeve asked.

"Never mind…" River stated. "The less people who know about _that_, the better." Reeve dropped the question. River didn't want to talk right now, and he knew it. River plopped down on the couch, making Cid and Shera squish together. The couch was hardly made for two people, so trying to fit three was really pushing it. Zel began to pace yet again. It was obvious that this was Zel's de-stress tactic: constant motion. No wonder they called him "Twitch."

River sighed quietly, and muttered something about how quickly life can change.

_As fast as a bullet shot from a gun..._ Reeve thought.

And then the phones started to ring.

Reeve, Shera, Cid, River, and Zel all crowded around Zel's computer, which was stored, not in the extra room, like Reeve had thought, but _under_ the house. Moments before, Zel had ushered them through a secret doorway (that was disturbingly similar to the secret door at the ShinRa mansion, Reeve though,) and down to this room.

When Zel had said ASAP, the ex-Turks had listened. Now each Turk was represented on one of the four flat-paneled computer screens. All of their faces showed one of three emotions: Anger, Fear, or Remorse. Some were even crying, like River had.

"Vinnie's dead…" David, the 'tech guy' muttered, staring blankly at the screen. Next to him, in the same space, was Kyra. Reeve noticed a lot of the Turks were in pairs. He smiled.

_I guess no one walked out alone, huh, Reeve?_

Reeve didn't jump, or make any sign that he'd heard Vincent. He didn't want River to start crying again.

_**Why can River see you?**_

_Because I wanted to be seen and heard. Now I just want to be heard, and only by you._

_**I think I understand.**_

_It wouldn't surprise me. You're a bright kid._

Reeve blushed slightly and forced himself to focus on the conversations the many Turks were trying to carry out with Zel and River.

"We got to do something!" Petri was yelling. His voice could be heard over all of them.

"Petri's right, let's get our revenge," Legion, a katana wielding ex-Turk, stated. His partner, Rachel, nodded.

"Wait one second, where's Verdot?" she asked suddenly. The ex-Turks began to mutter amongst themselves, searching the phone lines for Verdot's number.

"He's not here," Zel said, making a slicing gesture over his wrist with two fingers. "He won't be showing up either." The ex-Turks hissed.

"Okay, so that sucks. First we lost Vincent, and now they've turned us against Verdot!" Kilick, a staff-wielding ex, moaned. Sharing the screen with him was Lin, a martial artist.

"Who's the witness?" she asked. A few others muttered the same question.

"That would be Reeve," River said. Collective gasp, and then…

"Not Reeve _Tuesti_?" Petri stammered. Reeve noticed he was the only one without a partner. The only one alone. He had about feeling about that.

"Yes, Reeve Tuesti," Zel said, gesturing over his should. Reeve moved up into view. He heard the ex-Turks muttering again.

"Who's guarding him?" Kyra asked quickly. Others nodded, waiting for a reply.

"We are," Zel said, pointing to himself and River.

_**And Vincent,**_ Reeve thought.

_You're correct, Little Tuesti. And you have _me.

Reeve smiled slightly.

"You're one brave little kid," David said, shaking his head.

"Guys, gals, and other peeps, we'd better get going soon. So much air-traffic might draw attention," Legion stated.

"Okay then, I'll make this last order quick," Zel said. River and the other Turks all stood at attention, feet apart slightly, hands clasped behind their backs. Reeve, Cid, and Shera smiled at each other. For one brief moment in time, they were going to see the one side of the Turks no one _ever _saw.

"Everyone, pair up. If you don't have a partner, go to someone who does and be a group of three. Don't go anywhere alone, keep your guard up. The best of us died alone, so don't make the same mistake."

"Sir yes sir!" chanted the Turks

"Check to see if you have any scars you don't remember getting. Petri, belay this order, you're too new to have to worry. If you do, get them X-rayed. If you see anything that resembles a cross shape on your bone, head back to ShinRa. That means you have a tracker, and it's certain death for yourself and those around you. Don't complain, and say nothing about the walk out. Just think about it, you'll be keeping Verdot company."

"Sir yes sir!"

"Vincent died protecting some secret. He found something, and was silenced because of it. This I am sure of. Do research, but do it subtly. If you find anything, send it to me, _encoded_. If you don't know the code, got to someone who does. Do not send any uuencoded information to anyone at any time. Remember, everyone and anyone is your enemy."

"Yes sir!"

"And finally, protect one another. No longer are you functioning for the sole purpose to kill. You are now a human being, start acting like one. Forget about being a trained assassin, and try to give back what you've been taking away all these years. These are my last orders to you."

"Sir, permission to speak, sir!" Kyra stated, stepping forward. Zel nodded. "Sir, do you promise to protect your charge, even at the cost of your own life, and find a closer to this case, sir?"

"I do swear," Zel replied, smiling slightly.

"Then my soul will rest, should that day come," Kyra nodded, stepping back.

"Agreed!" the others yelled. River stepped forward now.

"Alright, Turks, there are your orders! If you don't agree, deal with it. If you have a complaint, stuff it. If you want to whine, no one's listening. And if I find any of you in jail, I'll kill you myself!" The Turks laughed. "Get out of here, and may you prosper!"

And then, for the last time, the all Turks signed off. As each of their screens went dark, Reeve couldn't help but wonder.

_**How many of them will still be alive when I see them again?**_

* * *

**A/N: Thank you so much! The next one starts with a poem! Review if you get a chance! **


	7. Chapter 6: The One Left Behind

**A/N: **Yeah! New chapter! And 335 hits! Woot! Thank you for all the support! This chapter is in Verdot's view, just so you know...I have some Dirge of Cerberus references, hope you enjoy!

Don't sue me, I only own the plot and the OCs, not Square Enix. ;-)

* * *

Nobody's Listening

Chapter Six: The One Left Behind

Verdot stood in the hallway, listening to the eerie silence that had taken over the floor. The _Turk's_ floor…normally filled with the sounds cussing, explosions, gun shots, arguments, conversations, and the constant battles between Vincent and Zel, who's debate topics ranged from the best types of guns/bombs to use for exterminations to who would be better suited for world domination, among other things.

His favorite debate had been "who can figure out the best ways to torture Hojo and the President _without_ getting caught." Everyone had joined in on that one.

Now the air was silent, no sounds were made except for Verdot's quiet breaths, in and out. In and out…

_At least_ he was still breathing.

It had been a week since the Walk Out. All of the Turks, most of the Science Department, and half of the other employees had flew the coup, leaving a shell-shocked ShinRa corp. to pick up the pieces.

_Zel had left three hours ago... Now Verdot sat in a room with Samuel Tuesti, Takota Highwind, and Vice President Lilith. After verifying that Reeve, Cid, and Shera were, in fact, in no danger at all, the true reason for their meeting had arisen._

_They were all "marked." _

Verdot shuddered. Long ago he'd thought he was the only one with a tracker. It seemed perfectly reasonable, to him at least. He was a Turk, after all. The tracker was just to make sure he didn't run with the "company's" secrets.

So why, then, did Samuel and Takota have trackers? They were probably the only people in all of ShinRa who had a clean slate. And Lilith?

Verdot sighed. He knew why the President had put a tracker on her. And he really didn't want to think about it right now. He was lucky, though, for she knew the reason she was "marked" as well, saving him a very strange conversation.

"_I don't care if I'm marked. I've got you guys, right? Plus, if Vincent ever finds out, Akito will be missing his head…among other things…"_ Verdot gulped. Lilith was smart, and knew that the Turks would _always_ side with her over President Akito ShinRa. She also knew that, as long as he, Zel, and Vincent were around, she would never have to worry about Akito getting the upper hand.

So Akito had killed Vincent…or, at least, gotten him "eliminated."

Zel was gone now, too, and so where the rest of the Turks. But Zel couldn't have known about Lilith's tracker. If he had known, he'd still be here right now.

So who did that leave?

Oh, right…him.

A lot of good that did for Lilith and this Verdot knew. Out of all the Turks, Verdot was by far the easiest to control. All the others knew the rules and did everything they could to break them and cause problems. Verdot would just sit back and let them go, while following every code, every rule to the letter.

Boy did he regret it now.

The day after the Walk Out, Akito had begun questioning everyone about it. He'd started with Highwind and Tuesti, but the two of them had pulled the 'hysterical parent' act and gotten away unscathed.

Zel still hadn't given the kids back…

The President had moved through all the departments, learning very quickly that the Walk Out was spontaneous, just like _everything_ Zel did. At least, that's what he thought, and no one gave him any other evidence to prove him otherwise.

Not even him.

Verdot smiled. He knew the true reason for the Walk Out. It started with a "V" and ended with an "incent." The very fact that Akito hadn't caught on showed how block-headed he was.

Verdot had been questioned too, but his interrogation was more like mental torture. He'd basically been forced to go back to the Turks' offices and find all their personal belongs that were left behind.

Zel, please change the locks on your house.

Seeing every picture, every file, every memory he had made with those other people, and then seeing them handed to the ass of a man…it had nearly caused him to loose sanity.

But Akito was so dense he didn't notice the "important files" go missing. The personal information on all of the Turks had been eliminated before it could be missed. Verdot silently thanked the Turk who'd committed arson in the record's room. He'd just blame them and get away with "loosing" the files.

No weapons had been left behind. Only one cell phone, without the battery and smashed to pieces. Papers scattered everywhere. David's old PDA, locked in the middle of a game of Tetris. Cards for Valentine's Day, birthday cards, Christmas cards scattered among the desks, remnants of those who were now free. Someone's plan for summer vacation (basically a three week break all Turks took without permission all at the same time), all of Zel's completed puzzles, a set of lock picks, random writing utensils still stuck in the ceiling from two years ago, newspaper clippings about the Turks, CDs of hard rock and classical music, random books, coffee mugs, chairs, a shirt, socks, someone's shoe…a tie hanging a small voodoo doll of President ShinRa, another hastily made voodoo doll of Hojo, being impaled multiple times with staples, pens, toothpicks, and safety pins.

Everything the Turks hadn't been able to carry was left there, silent artifacts reflecting on another time.

In the days following, Verdot had been forced to give over every code he knew the Turks used. Verdot had complied; thinking they didn't know about the Dirge's Code or the BlackOrder Letters.

He was wrong.

So today he was going to be in another meeting, this time giving up the last set of evidence the President wanted. It would seal his fate as a disposable puppet. He'd already confessed to not knowing anything about the Dirge's Code, and let them search his phone for the infamous texts. They'd found none, because Verdot had none. Vincent had established that Verdot would have to go through another Turk to use the code, and would never learn it himself. Verdot had been furious at first, thinking that Vincent was doing this to spite him for getting the position he'd wanted.

But then Vincent had told him he never wanted to head the Turks, and then, after the BlackOrder Letters were almost reviled, Verdot had respected the other Turks decision.

Now he respected it even more.

Verdot sighed again, pushing himself away from the wall and towards Vincent's old office. Half the letters were stored in a secret compartment in the wall of Verdot's office, and the other half were stored somewhere in Vincent's. He knew where they were and exactly what they said. He'd already written out copies to give to the President.

So why go get the originals?

To destroy them, of course. The 'copies' were frauds, written in the correct format, but completely devoid of the code first interwoven into the words. Any of the words that had corresponded to the hidden message had been changed. Some he'd left code in, but they were stupid things like Vincent saying he liked strawberries and they were his favorite fruit or Verdot's explanation why the color Pink was a mistake. These were codes that meant nothing but were left to confuse all who did find them.

Not that it was likely that they would be found anyway.

The BlackOrder Letters were started by Vincent, way back when he first joined. He'd devised a way to get important information back and forth between himself and Verdot without anyone being able to understand them. He'd written them as formal letters, always starting with "Dear Verdot" and ending with "Sincerely Vincent." And Verdot had always responded with "Dear Vincent" and "Sincerely Verdot." At first, these letters were just communication used to relay orders back and forth.

But then Verdot had begun to find out secrets about ShinRa better left unsaid. He'd begun to weave these secrets into the letters, knowing Vincent would want to know them. And Vincent had responded with secrets of his own.

That's when the true "BlackOrder Letters" had started. The name came from the two authors' favorite things. For Vincent, it was the color black, and for Verdot, it was organization, or order.

The code was intricate and difficult to understand. It had taken Verdot and Vincent five years to totally master it, and they were the creators. It required four key words to decipherer, plus a huge amount of code cracking skills, because the two creators had crafted a little bit of every code they knew into the Letters.

Getting the code words was the easiest part. Vincent had said is should be, and Verdot agreed. Because after figuring out the code words, the real battle began.

The four code words? Zel's full name (first, middle, and _last_) and the word that made up the tattoo on Verdot's arm (Anarchy).

It almost made Verdot laugh, think how obvious but hidden the code words were. Everyone in ShinRa knew about Verdot's tattoo, spawned from loosing a bet with Lilith and suffering the consequences. And just about everyone knew Zel's full first name and his middle name. Vincent tended to yell it down the hallways when Zel did something stupid.

His last name, though, Only Verdot, Vincent, and Zel himself knew. (It's not Valentine, folks!)

Verdot shook these thoughts from his head. By now, it wouldn't surprise him if the President and all his lackeys knew the code words. All he had to do was get the letters and get them hidden so the frauds couldn't be cross-referenced. He was thinking about burying them at Doctor Valentine's grave. No one would look there, and he couldn't bring himself to burn the papers.

He was too busy thinking about the Letters to notice he was being watched. And too busy thinking to notice that he was about to walk into the thing watching him.

That thing being another Turk, by the name of Freya and the love of Verdot's life.

"Oof!"

"Watch where you're going, sir!" Freya laughed from the ground. Verdot looked down to see a disheveled red head looking at him jollily. And he really couldn't believe it.

"Freya?" he asked, quickly helping her up. He stared at her, shocked. "I thought you walked out."

"Huh? What'cha talking about, Pops?" she asked, smoothing her suit and grinning at him playfully. She knew Verdot hated the nickname he'd been given.

"The Walk Out? Last week? I thought you left with everyone else!" Verdot said. Actually, he'd _hoped_ she'd left with everyone else. And he still could see a distinct picture in his mind of Freya sliding down the hallways in a rolling office chair a week earlier, holding a blow torch.

Oh, she's the one that got the record room…

"What'cha mean, Walk Out? Is that where everyone went? I don't know about it, sir. I was on vacation for the last week…" Freya said innocently, smiling at him. Verdot stared at her for a moment. No, she had _not_ been on vacation last week. She had _so_ participated in the Walk Out. Why the hell was she back?

Then Verdot caught sight of Freya's wrist, seeing a long, thin red line marring her tan skin. Freya noticed he where he was staring and pulled her sleeve down to cover the scar.

"Hehe…we match…" she sang quietly. Verdot's eyes widened. "See, you're not alone…" She walked up and kissed the bridge of his nose. "Those who fight together fall together, you know…Well, I better get back to work…" With that, she waved and continued down the hallway, smiling. She looked back once, then shrugged and disappeared into her office.

Verdot stood there, still surprised. How could this be possible?! Why was Freya forced to suffer as he did? He was shaking with anger now. How _dare_ Akito overstep his bounds!

With new found energy, Verdot hurried on to Vincent's office. Everything was left the exact same as Vincent had left it.

Orderly, organized, and pristine. Everything was clean, put away, and perfectly aligned and symmetrical. Verdot never thought Vincent had been an absolute OCD neat freak, but then he'd seen his office. Even the dust seemed to be setting in a perfect layer. Verdot shook his head and walked over to the only bit of wall not covered by a window or a bookcase. He tapped it twice and waited for the keypad to appear. After a few seconds, it did and he typed in the four key words. The wall then opened to reveal a safe. Verdot cracked the safe and removed the papers inside. He smiled, recognizing his handwriting.

Verdot had all the Letters now. The letters from Vincent to himself were in his office, and he was holding the letters from him to Vincent. He could easily pick out the code in the letter on top, smiling at how easy it was for him now.

He closed his eyes and stood there for a moment, feeling regret overwhelm him. Vincent Valentine was dead, and no one could do anything about it. He shook his head sadly and backed away from the safe, closing it and hiding it behind the fake wall again. He was about to leave when he noticed something out of place in the room. On Vincent's desk was a book that Verdot was sure hadn't been there all week.

He walked over to the desk and looked at it. "The Chronicles of Yore?" he mused, reading the title. Since when was Vincent interested in mythology? Verdot set the letters on the desk and opened the book. He was surprised when it opened almost directly to the middle, held there by a folded piece of paper. He reached for the paper but stopped after catching sight of an underlined section.

"'Soul wrought terra corrupt. Quelling impurity, purging the stream to beckon forth the ultimate fate…Behold mighty Chaos, Omega's squire to the lofty Heavens…'" Verdot read, arching an eyebrow. He knew that the late Doctor Valentine had been doing research on the sentient life forms that supposedly inhabited the Lifestream, but what was this? And why was Vincent interested in it? His eyes scanned the page and found a handwritten note, in Vincent's neat handwriting.

"'Ironic?'" Verdot read. He then looked up at the title of the page, which read "Dirge of Cerberus." Chuckling, he reached for the paper and opened it. He was shocked with what he found, his smile fading to open mouthed wonder.

It was another letter…written in BlackOrder format…with a code….

_Dear Verdot,_

_It's been awhile, hasn't it? Sorry I didn't check in sooner…and I don't think I'll be checking in again anytime soon…It seems one thing led to another and I'm kind of in a cramped situation right now, pun intended. I hate to say it, but I believe I've failed my mission. Then again, how long was I supposed to put up with Hojo anyway? Oh well. I hope you're life is going to go better than it started. Are you ever going to propose to Freya? Stop getting cold feet, Pops! You're more of a sissy than Zel, and that's saying something. So anyway, I think this is goodbye, my dear friend. Sorry I couldn't say it in person, but I think that would just freak you out. You really don't need a corpse talking to you, now do ya? _

_Sincerely for the last time, Vincent_

_P.S. Die all, die merrily._

Verdot stared at the letter. He was so surprised that he didn't even look for the code the first time through. He didn't believe it was possible for the dead to write letters. Actually, he was sure the dead could normally do nothing more than be dead. So where'd the letter come from? Who was playing a trick on him?

He went back and searched for the encrypted message. When he found it, he was sure that the letter could have been written by none other than Valentine himself. The message was short, but so deviously hidden that even if Verdot added this letter to the stack of letters he would soon be giving to the President, he doubted the man would understand it anyway.

Because Verdot didn't understand the code himself either. He was staring at it, words repeating in his head, but they made no sense. He left the room and hurried to his office, quickly hiding the new letter with all the others and grabbing the copies as he headed for the President's office.

Vincent's last code replayed in his head.

_Protect Cait Sith_.

* * *

**A/N** Zel's full name is in How To Be Human, but for those of you who haven't read it, here it is: Zeliki Norumik. His last name is a mystery, but will be revealed in this fanfiction eventually. If you want to know it, go read How To Be Human, Lesson Four. There's a hint there, but not his full name...:-) 

Woot for DOC references:-) Hope you liked it! Thank you for reading! Please review if you get a chance! Thanks again to all my reviewers/favoriters!


	8. Chapter 7: Retrieval

**A/N This was shorter than I wanted it to be, but it's late and I'm tired. The next one will be longer, promise! Thank you to my reviewers, and hello new readers!**

**Right...same disclamers as always...**

* * *

Nobody's Listening

Chapter Seven: Retrieval

Reeve didn't want to go back to the Shin-Ra building. But Zel said he had to. Zel didn't want to face his mother, who was probably worried sick right about now. But Zel said he had to. Reeve didn't want to take Cait, the constant reminder to what he'd seen, with him back home. But Zel said he had to.

In fact, Reeve wished he could stay forever in the safety of Zel and River's house, and never leave the comfort of the semi-chaotic household; forever staying out of the real world like he had for the past two weeks. But that, like everything else, Zel said he had to do.

Okay, it wasn't _just_ Zel.

* * *

**Three Hours Earlier**

"TURK!" Captain Highwind screamed through the door. All the occupants (who'd been eating a nice, peaceful lunch and talking about weekend plans) jumped. River and Zel exchanged a glance, wondering the same thing at the same time.

_How'd he _find_ us?!_

"OPEN THIS DOOR OR ELSE IT'S COMIN' OFF!"

"Zel, get that door open now!" River yelled, over Cid's angry father. "I am not replacing that door again!"

Reeve stared at River. _Again?_ He thought, confused. Zel ran to the door, unlocking it. He was about to open it from the inside, but Captain Highwind had heard the sound of the lock being undone and promptly shoved his way in.

Fortunately for River, the door stayed on its hinges.

Unfortunately for Zel, he got his by that door that stayed on its hinges and was being pushed by an extremely angry ship captain.

"WHERE IS THE LITTLE BLONDE HEADED RAT? I'LL RIP HIM APART!" Takota yelled, looking around the room for Zel. It was almost comical, because Zel lay on the ground _behind_ Captain Highwind, nursing his face from its trip into the speeding door.

"Please don't kill me," Zel moaned. Highwind spun around and picked Zel up from the ground by his neck.

"WHERE ARE THEY?!" he spat, glaring at Zel and squeezing his neck to the point of suffocation.

"CAPTAIN!" River yelled. Cid's father didn't release his grip but turned to face the other Turk. She quickly gestured to the three confused (and afraid) children standing in the middle of the room, staring back at him like he'd just grown a tail.

"Takota, let the man go!" another voice commanded, entering the room. Reeve balked. What was his father doing here?!

"But Sam…" Takota began to protest. Zel choked, slowly turning a bit blue.

"Do it!" Samuel Tuesti ordered. With a scowl, Captain Highwind let the Turk fall to the floor, chuckling darkly as he scrambled to get as far as he could away from the angry pilot. "Reeve, are you alright?" When addressed, Reeve blinked.

"Yes Father," he said, voice quivering slightly. Sam crossed the room quickly (Reeve noticed River backed away as he approached) and bent down to look his twelve year old son in the eyes. He then smiled and pulled him into an embrace.

"We sent you to bring them back, River," Sam said, his voice full of anger but remaining calm all the same.

"Some…complications arose, sir…I-I thought it was best for them to stay here," River said, her voice barely over a whisper.

"You thought what?!" Takota yelled. River winced but didn't back down.

"Takota, shut up!" Sam ordered. Takota's scowl deepened.

"River, how could you possibly think they'd be better here, with you two ex-Turks? Do you know how many people are your enemies? I don't know what possessed Zel to kidnap the three children in the first place, but you've put my son, Cid, and Shera in danger…" Reeve's father continued. "And I thought you swore to keep them _out of_ danger."

"I was," Zel muttered, but one angry look from Takota silenced any further protest.

"We're going to take our children home now, hopefully without force."

"What do we look like, a couple of serial killers holding your kids for ransom?" Zel shot, his own anger rising.

"Looks like it," Takota countered. "Why else would you keep them here for TWO FING WEEKS?!"

"You think I want _money_ from you, old man?! Is that why you think I've kept them here? They could have left any time they wanted. They _choose _to stay!" Zel countered, voice rising now.

"Did they, _Turk_, or did you and your little girlfriend…."

"KEEP RIVER OUT OF THIS!"

"FINE! I bet you just wanted to spend some more time with Shera, doing whatever it is you where doing for the last three ye…"

Reeve swore he'd never seen a person fly before, without the help of machinery. But that day, Zel got pretty close. And if Captain Highwind hadn't slid to the side when he did, he'd probably been dead right then.

Then next thing everyone knew, Zel was holding Captain Highwind in the same position he'd been holding Zel in only moments before. Only it was more of an amazing feat now, for Zel was half Takota's weight and was still holding the older man in the air by his neck.

"Take…it…back!" Zel spat, eyes glowing with fury.

"Why?" Takota growled. Reeve couldn't believe it. How could the Captain still be provoking Zel at a time like this?!

"TAKE IT BACK!" Zel screamed. "NEVER TALK ABOUT HER LIKE THAT AGAIN!"

"River, Zel's reverting!" Shera yelled. Reeve and an astonished Cid looked at each other. Reverting to _what_?!

River didn't hesitate. She lunged forward, sweeping Zel's legs out from under him. Zel, in his shock, let the Captain fall in order to regain his balance. River didn't let him, though, and pulled Zel into a headlock, dragging him back towards a room with a lock and a door.

_Zel!_ Reeve jumped. Vincent was in the room, and no one else could see him or hear him. His sudden appearance had scared the crap out of him, but the ghost wasn't focused on Reeve at all. He was watching the struggling pair of ex-Turks. Finally, River was able to blindside Zel and force him into a room, which she quickly locked and stood against the door. She was breathing heavily, and her left arm was bleeding.

_**Vincent, what's wrong with Zel.**_

_He's run out of pills, it seems…_

_**Out of what?!**_

_Depression medicine, stuff for panic attacks, and the other stuff used to keep him sane…a whole mess of pills that would cause any normal person to OD. Without it, well…he's like that…_

Reeve just stood there, mouth open. Who knew the Turks were so crazy…

"RIVER! KEEP HIM ON A LEESH OR SOMETHIN'. HE BLOODY BIT ME!" Takota screamed. Samuel was speechless for a moment. "He better not have rabies!"

"River, did Zel not take his medicine this morning?" Sam asked, looking mortified. Reeve could already see that he'd probably never be allowed to see Zel again.

"No…Sir…he didn't….as you can…tell…" River panted.

"Why the HELL not?!" Takota yelled. "You mean my kids have been pent up with a madman?!"

"If you hadn't noticed," River said, angrily, "Zel was perfectly fine until _you_ brought up the stupid notion that he was _sleeping_ with Shera. For Gaia's sake, Takota, this is your fault! Own up!" Takota's face paled. He looked at Shera, who was holding back tears and hiding behind Cid and Reeve.

"Oh…"

"River, would you please get some medication into that man before he hurts something?" Sam asked, rubbing his eyes.

"I can't…He's out…" River replied mournfully.

"Then call ol' Red eyes and get some more pills for this guy," Takota said, acting as if it was an obvious.

_Oh sure, Takota, I'll go pick those up for him…Oh wait, one problem…I DON'T HAVE A BODY!_

_**Uh, Vincent…he can't hear you…**_

_Damn it…I mean, dang it…stupid Hojo, why I outa…_

"I can't do that either…" River said quietly.

"Why not?" Sam asked. Zel took this time to answer.

"BECAUSE HE'S DEAD, YOU IDIOTS!"

Takota had nothing to say to that.

* * *

**-Back to Present-**

"So, you see, Zel thought it might be best if they remained here, away from Shin-Ra…just in case the President came after Shera again or hold Cid or Reeve hostage…" River finished. Reeve wanted to applaud her. She'd just spent three hours feeding his and Cid's fathers a totally false (but believable) story about something to do with trackers, some code known by the ship crew, and, of course, the corrupt hierarchy at Shin-Ra. She'd even explained the details she knew revolving around Vincent's death, never once mentioning the fact that the sole witness sat in the room with them. (Reeve couldn't help but think that the woman who'd also seen the murder was probably dead by now.)

"Oh…" Sam said. That's about all he could say since Zel (who was still locked in the back room, probably sleeping or something) had yelled the news about Vincent. Reeve never thought about the fact that his father might have been acquainted to the man.

As it turned out, Samuel considered himself Vincent's uncle…

Reeve never knew…

"What's Ruvi going to do with this news?" Sam muttered.

"You think Anna's gonna take it any better? That boy was like a son ta her!" Takota added, mentioning his wife.

_Why does everyone call me boy? I'm 27 years old…was 27 years old…_ Reeve smiled at Vincent's complaint.

"River, what are you and the other Turks going to do now?" Sam asked.

"We don't know yet. We'll figure that all out when it comes," River replied.

"So what are we going to do, huh?" Takota asked. "Now what?"

Shuffling and scraping behind them brought the group's attention to the back room, where Zel offered a nice suggestion.

"How about you LET ME OUT OF HERE!"

* * *

**A/N: Thank you for reading! Please review if you have a chance! The next chapter brings Lucrecia back into the story! If you need an expliantion of anything, please ask me! I tend to forget what I've mentioned in one fan fiction to another...:-)**


	9. Chapter 8: The Spark

**A/N: Hello readers! Thanks for staying with me! This chapter is mostly in Lucrecia's view. Enjoy!**

**Same Disclamers, everyone!**

* * *

Nobody's Listening

Chapter Eight: The Spark

_A spark that starts a fire_

_A word that starts a war_

_When you find your hearts desire_

_Then find yourself lying dead there on the floor_

(Excerpt from the poem "From Yin to Yang" by Jynx Tsilevon and Anonymous)

Lucrecia walked silently in Hojo's shadow through the Shin-Ra building. She didn't want to be noticed today…well, she rarely ever wanted to be noticed anymore.

_It's all your fault…_

The last two weeks had basically been complete torture for. Her days were filled with the voices and pain that came from offering her body to the J-E-N-O-V-A experiment, and her nights were filled nightmares.

_Vincent's body, laying dead on the floor…reaching for her, calling her name…dead there, on the floor…died for her…to protect her…_

_It's all your fault_.

The second after she'd regained her senses, after seeing Vincent laying there dead, after the other witness, the boy, had run from the room, Lucrecia had done something she'd never thought she was capable of. She's hit Hojo –hard- with a book, knocking him out (she thought), or killing him (okay, one can dream…) and then bolting up the stairs to her room, where she stored her materia. Though she doubted Cure 3 or even Restore 3 would be able to save the man now, she had to try.

_Because you wouldn't feel so guilty if you had at least _tried _to save him…_

So she'd found her materia in three seconds flat and headed out the door. Or at least tried to. Because it turned out, the door was locked…from the outside…by Hojo. She was locked in her room, and away from the library…from Vincent…

_I should have hit him harder!_

"LET ME OUT!" she'd screamed. He'd ignored her, leaving her locked in there for days. He delivered her food, and because her room had a bathroom attached, she had no reason to leave.

He'd finally let her out, though, four days ago. She'd instantly searched the house from top to bottom, looking for her guardian, the man she'd broken to pieces by rejecting…the man that most of her stilled loved, despite all she'd said.

But Vincent Valentine was nowhere to be found.

Lucrecia had begun to think she was imagining things…that the voices in her head were now affecting her sanity and she was creating the delusions of the death of those close to her.

Then again, she already had the voices…how much sanity did she really have left?

She'd begun to convince herself that yes, she was crazy, and that yes, Vincent was not dead. Then she'd heard the screams coming from the lab that night…screams that sounded so pained and unfamiliar, but yet oddly recognizable.

_His_ screams…

That had sealed it. Vincent wasn't truly dead… Hojo was using his body for experiments and therefore keeping him on the edge of death…so he was dead, but he wasn't…

Okay, now she was just confusing herself…

She'd been planning on searching the Manor again today, but Hojo had dragged her along to the Shin-Ra building, not wanting to leave her alone after he'd found out she was trying to kill herself.

Something had to stop the voices…

So that's how she got stuck here, following a homicidal maniac and trying to resist the urge to grab the nearest sharp object and stabbing it through his back.

(She liked to see herself as saner than Hojo, because her psychosis was scientifically induced, while Hojo was just born crazy.)

"I'm going to the meeting now. I'll meet you here when it's over," Hojo said, pulling her out of her trance. She only nodded, refusing to look at him. He leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You'll understand soon. You'll agree with me that what I did was right…" he whispered into her ear before leaving her standing in the lobby.

_SOAP! NEED SOAP!_

Lucrecia waited three minutes in the lobby before rushing to the bathroom. After about ten minutes of scrubbing the place where Hojo's lips had met her skin, she sighed.

_I gave up Vincent for this?_

Surprisingly, the voices were silent. Normally, she'd get some kind of sassy remark from them, making fun of her for her choice of the crazy scientist Hojo over the Turk Vincent.

Like she wasn't already aware of her mistake…

That was when Lucrecia found herself walking into Vincent's old office. She hadn't even thought about where she was going until she'd arrived on the Turk's floor and was standing in front of the oak door that led to his office.

**V. Valentine** the name plate on the door read. She stared at the name, reaching out to touch it, as if the metal could replace human flesh. She then swallowed the lump in her throat and pushed the door open, creeping inside.

It wasn't a shock to see the office so clean, even after passing the chaos that was the rest of the Turk's floor. She wondered briefly if she was the first person to set foot in this office since Vincent's death. Probably not…the other Turks had probably come in here many times, searching for clues about what happened to him.

They wouldn't ever find any….Her thoughts drifted to the boy again, as they had many times over the past few days. What had happened to him? Why was he in the Manor in the first place? What reasons did he have for hiding in the closet? Had he gotten away? Had Hojo killed him too? Was a he friend to Vincent? Was he hiding n…?

Lucrecia shook her head to clear the agonizing questions from her mind. The last thing she wanted to do right now is think about that.

Right, why was she here again?

Oh, right…she didn't have a reason…she just wanted to get away from Hojo... She looked around the office, noticing a book lying open on the desk. Curiosity got the better of her and she quickly crossed the room to see what it was. Her eyes widened when she saw the page and recognized, almost instantly, the _Chronicles of Yore._

She flipped through a few pages, reading his notes and comments. Some things were underlined, others highlighted, and some phrases had little stars by them and the words "Show Miss Crescent." She felt her heart break for the millionth time and tears that she didn't think she had began to fall from her eyes.

"Hello? Ma'am, are you alright?" a voice asked from behind her. Lucrecia jumped, dropping the tome and spinning around. She stared at the girl behind her, eyes wide. "Ma'am, are you alright?" she asked again.

"I-I'm fine…" Lucrecia stammered. She noticed the girl was wearing a blue suit…she cringed, staring at the Turk.

"Oh…?" the Turk replied, obviously not believing her. "So you're just crying 'cause you feel like it and it just happens to be in Dirge's office?"

"Dirge?"

"Oy, sorry, Turk-talk…I meant Vincent…" the Turk said absently. "Point is, your miserable and if Vincent's the one who made you like that, then I'll kill his skinny ass and then raise him from the dead to do it again…" Lucrecia winced.

_Well, sorry to say that someone beat you to it…_

"So, Miss Lucrecia, are you just going to stand there lookin' at me, or are you going to say something?"

"How did you know my…"

"Nametag."

"Oh…Um…what's your name?"

"Freya of the Turks."

"Nice to meet you," Lucrecia said automatically.

"You're the girl Vince was in charge of…" Freya replied, eyeing her. "What'cha doing here? And, by any chance, have you seen our illustrious gunman?"

Lucrecia felt her heart constrict. She stared at the Turk, wanting to fall to her knees and scream "It's Hojo's fault, he did it! Kill _him_, not me!" She stood there, open-mouthed and unable to speak.

"So it's true…" Freya muttered. "That _bastard_…" Lucrecia's eyes went wide.

"What did you…"

"Vincent's _that_ desperate to get out of this life, ain't he? Did you have any warning before he killed himself?" Lucrecia felt her eyes open wider, if that was possible. "I'm guessing you got no warning…" The female Turk shook her head. "Damn it, Valentine…look what you went and left?" she shook her head again, staring sympathetically at Lucrecia. "Sorry, Miss Crescent. I bet the past couple weeks have been really hard on you…Look it's not your fault, kay? When Vinnie gets his mind set on things, it's almost impossible to convince him otherwise…There was nothing you could have done."

Lucrecia just continued to stare at her. If her ears were working right, then that means…

_Hojo's rumor was taken as truth?! That stupid, false cover up?! How could anyone believe that?! VINCENT WASN'T SUICIDAL!_

_Was he?_

"Hey, Gaia to Lucrecia! You still in there?" Freya laughed, waving at her. Lucrecia smiled weakly and waved back.

"I'm sorry to have wasted your time, Miss Freya. Thank you for…informing me about Vincent," Lucrecia said, smiling. "I must be going now, I'm afraid…" She began to head towards the exit.

"Sure, anytime. If ya ever need to talk, look me up," Freya said, grinning. She then headed down the hallway, but not without Lucrecia noticing her pull out her cell phone and begin dialing something. Lucrecia guessed she was texting someone and shrugged. She actually had to get back to the lobby now…Hojo's meeting was probably over…

The thought of being alone with him in the Manor again made her skin crawl.

She wished for another distraction, something that would stall for just a bit longer (Obviously, she, like Reeve, had never been told to be careful what you wish for).

As she was walking down the hallway towards the main lobby, Lucrecia began to hear a conversation.

"…why Zel would take it upon himself," the first voice said. It sounded like a close to middle aged man to Lucrecia.

"'Cause he is an idiot, Sam!" replied another, older voice with an incredibly thick Texan accent.

"He's not an idiot, Takota. He did have sound reasoning," the man named Sam replied.

"Yeah, but not a sound mind! That guy's lost his marbles!" Takota spat. "Without Vinnie being around, Zel's an accident in progress…"

_Vincent? They know Vincent?_

"You mean an accident waiting to happen."

"No, we all know it's gonna happen, so it's in progress!"

"Wha…never mind…If that's what you think, then fine…" Lucrecia continued to listen to their conversation, not noticing she was actually following the male's voices now.

"Is Zel going to be alright?" a sweet sounding voice piped up. Lucrecia was shocked to hear such a young girl's voice.

"Yes Shera, he's going to be fine. Takota is exaggerating…" Sam reassure the girl.

"I am n-Ow why'd you hit me!" Takota spat. Lucrecia couldn't help but smile. She understood what had happened.

"Yea, don't listen ta my dad, Shera. Everythin's gonna be fine," reassured another young voice (though it sounded like Takota's).

Lucrecia now found herself standing in the lobby, and the carriers of the conversation were on the other side of the room, huddled together and talking. She noticed the two older men- Sam and Takota- kept looking over their shoulders, like they were paranoid. Next to the men were three children-two boys and one girl (Shera, Lucrecia mused). She guessed that the blonde haired boy was Takota's son (they looked the most alike) and so that left the other, brown haired boy, who she guessed was Sam's son.

_Wait a minute…_ She looked at the brown haired boy, noticing something sitting on his shoulder.

_A CAT?!_ Suddenly it all clicked, and Lucrecia felt like all the oxygen had left her body. The boy with the cat couldn't have been more than twelve years old.

_He's still alive!_ Lucrecia cheered. Then the boy looked up, catching sight of her. His eyes went wide and his mouth opened slightly in astonishment. Lucrecia just stared back at him, trying to remain calm. He'd recognized her just as fast as she did him. This meant…

_He still remembers…_

The boy stole a quick look at his father and friends (all of whom didn't seem to notice his panic) and began walking towards her. Lucrecia frantically wanted to wave him away, tell him to leave and forget all he'd seen. But no words came to tongue.

"Y-you're okay!" the boy said, smiling at her. His voice shook. "I-I thought that he…would have…" his voice choked off the end of the sentence. To her surprise, the boy looked both ways across the lobby and then hugged her around the waist tightly (he didn't come up to high, still to young to have had his growth spurt). Lucrecia stood there in shock as he let go. "Cait and I were worried about you," he said quietly.

"T-thank you?" Lucrecia replied, though it sounded like a question. The boy smiled at her and held out his hand, as if to shake.

"I'm Reeve Tuesti, and this is Cait Sith," he said, introducing himself and the cat on his shoulder.

"Lucrecia…Lucrecia Crescent," she replied, shaking his hand. She suddenly began to become paranoid, looking over her shoulder frantically to make sure Hojo wasn't coming.

"Are you alright?" Reeve asked, looking behind her as well.

"I…I'm fine. How have you been?" Lucrecia asked, trying to keep the conversation normal and away from…well, you know.

"Fine, just fine. Spent time with my cousin for the past two weeks," Reeve said. Lucrecia noticed he was acting like they were friends already, which was making the people and the lobby stop looking at the two of them strangely.

_Smart kid_.

"Really? That must have been fun," she replied, smiling.

"Yeah. It was…How are things at the Manor?" he asked lightly.

"Kind of grim, actually…" she said, without thinking. He caught her drift immediately.

"Oh…right…I'm sorry to hear that you were involved with all that…" Reeve responded, sympathy in his voice.

_Who taught this kid to act?!_

"It's alright. Thank you for your condolences."

"If you ever need anything, you can call me you know," Reeve said quickly. She looked at him, surprised. "I mean, I know I'm only twelve, but…we kids listen well, you know?" Before Lucrecia could respond to that, she noticed Sam was standing right behind his son.

_Wait a minute… that means his father is Samuel Tuesti…THE Samuel Tuesti!_

"Reeve! Are you bothering Doctor Crescent?" Sam scolded.

"No, Father," he said brightly. "I was just showing her Cait. I didn't think I was bugging her. Was I?" He looked at Lucrecia, smiling innocently.

"Yes, Mr. Tuesti, he wasn't bothering me at all."

"Oh…I didn't know you were interested in robotics, Doctor," Samuel replied.

_Robotics?! Wait…That cat's a _robot

Reeve gave her a look that said "just roll with it, I'll explain later."

"Well, I wasn't until your son tricked me into thinking Cait Sith was real," she said, smiling.

"Yes, he does that often to people," Sam said, shaking his head. "Had me convinced too until his head fell off…"

"Hey! I wasn't done making him yet, that's why," Reeve assured her. "He's actually quiet sturdy." Cait shook his head, as if to demonstrate. Lucrecia nodded. For the first time in weeks, she was talking and thinking about something besides the death of her secret beloved. It felt good.

"Oh, Professor Hojo! I didn't see you there!" Sam said suddenly, sounding startled. Lucrecia noticed Reeve nearly jumped out of his skin. She felt a looming presence next to her, knowing without looking that it was Hojo.

_When will the nightmares end?_

"Hello, Mr. Tuesti…" Hojo said cruelly. "Is this your…"

"Oh, yes! I forgot to introduce you. Reeve, this is Professor Hojo, head of the Science Department. Professor, this is my son, Reeve." Reeve stared silently at Hojo, looking slightly mortified. Lucrecia felt the same way, actually. Samuel Tuesti didn't know what he'd just done.

"Pleasure," Hojo said curtly, smiling at Reeve. Not a nice smile, no…a murderous one. Reeve gulped.

"Heh…Pleasure…" he said, smiling awkwardly and inching back a few steps. Once again, Lucrecia didn't blame him.

"Well, it's been nice seeing you, Professor. I…I'm sorry to hear about what happened to Vincent…um…We'll be going now…" Sam said, feeling a bit uncomfortable suddenly. Did the room just heat up or was he imagining things? He took Reeve's hand and walked back over to Takota (Oh, right, Captain Highwind! Lucrecia remembered), watching Hojo nervously.

"Why is the whole building _still_ talking about that brat?" Hojo fumed when they were far enough away. Lucrecia said nothing.

**

* * *

At River's House**. 

Bzzzt!

"HOLY!" Zel jumped to his feet, phone flying out of his pocket and skittering across the floor. River held back laughter, watching her boyfriend scamper around after it.

"If you hate it being on vibrate so much, turn on the sound," she said, giggling.

"But all the ring tones suck," Zel complained, picking up his phone and checking his messages. "One new text…" he said.

"What's it say, huh?" River asked, ignoring his bogus complaint. "Wait, is it coded?"

"Yeah, it's coded…From Elda…" River nodded when she heard Freya's code name. "I quote: 'Twitch and Storm: Lucrecia lives (Other witness). Convinced her about cover story we agreed on. She and Cait met. Hojo tried to interfere, but parents hovering too close. Watching closely, Elda.'"

"Well…" River said, shaking her head. "Is that good or bad news?"

"I don't know yet," Zel said, sitting next to her on the couch. "What I do know is that the fire's been lit…"

"What?" River asked.

"Sorry! Old analogy Vin and I used. Every time something drastic began to happen, Vincent would make reference to lighting a fire, you know, to like set off a bomb or something."

"So…the spark starts the fire…"

"And the fire sets off the bomb, and everything starts over again."

* * *

**A/N:** Oh, the name for Freya is a Chobits reference... I don't own that either, but it's a good Manga...Thanks for reading! Please review if you get a chance. 


	10. Chapter 9: If I Could Predict

**A/N: Hallo! Sorry about the shortness of this chapter. I'm struggling with plot ideas for this...I have more ideas for How To Be Human...grr...**

**Any ideas? HELP ME PLEASE! lol:-)**

**Disclamers: Same as always! I don't own the band Skillet, either! Just borrowing their song.**

* * *

Nobody's Listening

Chapter Nine: If I Could Predict the End of the World

_I, I'm invincible  
I'm indestructible  
It's my destiny  
I, I'm invincible  
I'm unshakeable  
Through the truth in my soul _

You know you just can't kill a man when he's dead  
You know the spirit survives (invincible)  
… 

"_Invincible" by Skillet_

Vincent was getting the hang of this "being an undead spirit" thing. He's learned his restrictions (can't walk through solid metal unless there's a crack in it, unable to appear to the people he loved or the one responsible for killing him, etc) and had learned the advantages to being dead.

Like not having to sleep…that was a plus.

But being dead was also boring. And it sucked…'cause, well, you know…he's _dead_ and all…

"I can't believe I died by getting shot, too…" Vincent muttered. No one could hear him because there was no one (awake) in the room. Plus, he didn't want to be heard anyway. "That's some kind of irony right there…I _saw_ the gun too…" He looked over at the sleeping figure of Reeve, Cait Sith tucked under his arm protectively.

It had been over a month since he'd been shot and started watching over the boy, and already he'd noticed changes in Reeve's live style. Though he'd slowly grown more and more paranoid (like running into Hojo at the most random moments), he'd also begun to slowly adapt and become more careful. He was really good about covering his tracks when he did research on Hojo's experiments and was careful when he talked now too. Day by day he was becoming a better actor, to the point where Vincent almost found it hard to tell when he was lying or when he was telling the truth.

Almost being the key word. After years of being a Turk, Vincent had a lot of practice in the art of lying.

He also noticed how he didn't scare Reeve anymore, appearing out of nowhere to get a brief comment in or give him a warning and then disappearing again. (This was good; he never wanted to _scare_ Reeve in the first place.) He was pretty sure he had Reeve's trust now.

This was why he felt bad as he went through the boy's personal belongings. He'd gained his trust, but now he was totally going against every moral fiber he had (and yes, he _did_ have morals, unlike most Turks) and sifting through his stuff.

Everything he found just reiterated when he already knew. Reeve, despite his young age, was a genius when it came to artificial intelligence and robotics, as well as eavesdropping and other spy like techniques. But he also deeply cared for the well being of people, and Vincent had found numerous papers with plans for renovations to make Midgar a better place for all of its inhabitance

It was hard to believe this kid was only twelve.

Vincent also found evidence proving to him that Reeve was very…guarded. He didn't like to pull people into business that wasn't their problem (like Cid and Shera being stuck with helping Reeve solve the current problem). He liked to try to do everything he could himself.

Who does that sound like?

Other than that, he found nothing too interesting. So he leaned against the wall of Reeve's room, watching the window and door and listening for anything that sounded like a sniper.

Old habits die hard.

After about two hours of this, Vincent struggled to find something to occupy his time. He decided to sing to himself, at least to pass the time. Lilith had always told him he had a good singing voice anyway. Why not practice?

"Send away for a priceless gift…One not subtle, one not on the list…Send away for a perfect world…One not simply, so absurd…In these times of doing what you're told, You keep these feelings, no one knows.

What ever happened to the young man's heart…Swallowed by pain, as he slowly fell apart…

And I'm staring down the barrel of a 45, Swimming through the ashes of another life… No real reason to accept the way, things have changed…Staring down the barrel of a 45…"

Vincent stopped after the chorus of the song called "45." He'd always thought this song reminded him of Zel, who'd always wanted to be perfect or to not exist at all. But now, as he thought about it, the song basically reflected his last year alive pretty well. He was about to keep singing when something on Reeve's desk caught his eye: a little black book, seemingly inconspicuous at first. But as Vincent got closer and could read the title, his curiosity spiked.

"_If I could Predict the End of the World"_ the book read, title written neatly in silver ink in what Vincent recognized as Reeve's handwriting. He picked up the book after a few attempts (having to concentrate all of his energy into each of his hands took a lot of focus) and opened it to the first page, reading the entry.

"_Prediction: Cinder (Real name, Shera). _

_Awakened from the darken prison, saved by an angel in demon's clothes. Teaching another to love is as hard as learning to love oneself…succeeding only when told to fail, and loving the one who can not see past their own dreams and delusions."_

Vincent stared at the page. Not only did the prediction not make that much sense, but it sounded like it came from someone older than Reeve.

Far older…

He flipped the page, finding Cid's.

"_Prediction: Cid Highwind._

_To those who stare at the sky and don't look down, beware what may come from reaching your dreams. Remember those you might leave behind and always keep your mind open_

_To those who reach the sky and look back at the ground: It sucks to know that she was right, doesn't it?"_

Vincent smiled at this one. Whatever it meant, it had to do with Cid getting his ego crushed by a girl. Vincent would pay to see that, if he had to. Cid had a bit of a big ego.

He flipped through the book and found Zel's.

"_Prediction: Zeliki Norumik (Last name unknown)._

_Angel hidden in demon's clothes, rise up again to fall to the ground, finding joy in the simplest of horrors and understanding the self-inflicted suicide will always fail until death isn't wanted. Look back from the dead and know that you did all you could to protect the savior of us all." _

"Savior of us all? Zel?" Vincent snorted. The line "self-inflicted suicide that will always fail until death isn't wanted," scared Vincent slightly. What the hell…?

He flipped through a few more pages until he found another surprising entry: his own.

"_Prediction: Unknown (Vincent?)_

_Trapped alone in silent sorrow…Loss of hope, no more tomorrow…released from death to life undying, eyes and ears sighted the crying. Screams of suffering echo to times long past, the memories that should fade seem to last. Chaotic songs and whispers so silent. Insanity only memory's remnant. Shown how to love with a broken heart, lost in the end before the start. In time he learns what he long forgot, and wonders what he could have done with one last shot…"_

It all rhymed. That was the first thing that Vincent noticed.

"One last shot…" he said, thinking of the gun that had been only inches from his hand when he'd died.

The prediction made sense, at least to him. It just spoke of how obvious his eternal suffering would be now.

"What's that line mean? 'Released from death to life undying'?" Vincent mused. "Reeve, you're pretty morbid…"

Just for the fun of it, he flipped to the last page. To his surprise, he found writing.

"_If I could predict the end of the world, it would start with the sky falling. The seas will reach for the falling stars, and the land will split apart to release the souls. No screams will be heard, no one will be left to scream. All will stare as the sky falls to the earth. There will be those who stand in its way, but I wish for no more dead heroes. If I could predict the end of the world, one falling star would end it all. Those in light will bow to shadows and those who fight will lay down their swords. Fall to ruin… Peace will fill us; taking us away…If I could predict the end of the world…I hope it doesn't happen this way." _

On the back cover, next to the page, the words "_You promised me no more dead heroes_" were written. Vincent stared at these two pieces of work, surprised. How was it that these didn't seem like nonsense? It wasn't possible for someone to predict the future, was it?

_Was_ it?

He put the book back on the table, staring at the sleeping figure of Reeve again. The boy defiantly hid more in his head then he let on. Briefly he wondered if Reeve had ever told anyone about the predictions. His one for Zel seemed pretty accurate, and the one for himself was strangely believable.

He couldn't help it. He opened the book again, this time to the middle. One line greeted him.

"_You will find what you seek but loose what you cherish most."_

Vincent closed the book again. Maybe it was time to go check on Zel…

* * *

**A/N: hehe...yea for referencing...is that the right prediction? The one Reeve gave Cloud? I never get the wording right...**

**Oh! The song Vincent sings is called 45 by Shinedown. I don't own them either! I love the song though!**


	11. Chapter 10: Zel's Resolve

**A/N:** Okay, this is a longer chapter...But it's mainly in Zel's view...It's kind of a sad chapter...at least, that's how I wrote it to be...

This gives you insite on Zel's whole view on Vincent's death...I hope you didn't think that he didn't care at all...

I'm also changing the format a little bit, adding subtitles in bold. Do you like this format better or worse? Should I go back to the old way?

Special thanks to: Areith-Rain, winterrosa, and Lord Makura. You three were the only ones who reviewed the last chapter. Here's cookies:-)

Same disclamers as always. Thank you for reading this far!

* * *

Nobody's Listening

Chapter 10: Zel's Resolve

**

* * *

Slum Rat on a Plate**

Zel walked through the plate alone, getting stares but not really caring. He knew he looked like a Slum Rat, unless someone recognized him from being a Turk. Neither was really that good, but he really didn't care. He'd left River to her…whatever she was doing and decided to talk a walk. To get fresh air, he'd said. Ha, like that would ever happen, here in Midgar.

The truth of the matter was that Zel needed to think. Over the past month he'd been careful to hide his feelings, not wanting to hurt River and be a positive influence on the kids. They looked up to him, as someone to be steady and accountable. A solid rock, their foundation.

Zel honestly felt more like a wet piece of paper than a solid rock. He was learning-fast-that without Vincent around, he was _nothing_.

For fourteen years Vincent had stood by Zel's side, catching him every time he was about to slam his face into the ground (both literally and figuratively), pushing him to do better, saving him every time he tried to kill himself. No matter how stupid or crazy he'd become, Vincent had stayed there for him.

Vincent was Zel's only constant in life. And now even that was gone.

"Well, Gaia? What more can you take from me? If you even _think_ about taking Shera or River from me, I'll figure out a way to summon that damn meteor thing and destroy your ass, along with everyone else!" Zel hissed to no one. He liked to pretend that the Planet's guardians actually cared about the people who lived on it. In truth, he doubted the Planet cared about anything anymore. He doubted the Planet was even an entity now.

_Sorry Dad. I know how much you wanted to prove that._

Zel knew he was starting to break, starting to shut down, to give up. He'd felt like this before…but that had been fourteen years ago, before he was an adopted Valentine.

Not anymore, it seemed. All the Valentines were dead.

Zel felt his shoulders shaking as he walked down the street. People continued to stare at him, but he didn't care. He really never cared about what other people thought of him. Just River…River was really all that ever mattered anymore.

How could she love him?

Zel shook those thoughts from his mind. They were going to be married in a few months…He didn't want to fall out on her because he felt like she deserved better (she did, she really did). If she loved him, he was going to be there for her.

If a freak accident didn't kill him first.

Suddenly Zel recognized where he was. He looked up and found himself staring at the entrance to the Shinra building. The same entrance that, for eight years, he walked in and out of day after day after day. Until a month ago.

"You don't control me anymore," he said, looking at the building. He remembered Verdot's text a day earlier, talking about those left behind. Lilith had been one of them. Good ol' Lilith, the only other person besides River and Vincent who saw through his insanity and could point out the real person hidden underneath it all.

And he'd failed her just like everyone else.

"My name is Zel…and I've failed everyone…my brother, my friends, my fiancé..." Zel said, staring at the tall building in front of him. "I cannot do anything without someone being here to hold my hand. I'm a twenty-six year old child with the stability of a frayed piece of string. I am slowly loosing my sanity, if I ever had it, and will probably be dead soon due to my own devices."

The doors to the Shinra building opened, and out walked the cause of Zel's problems. Zel watched Hojo walk out and catch sight of him. For thirty long, eternity like seconds, he and Zel kept each other's gazes, refusing to let them go.

Then Zel shouted the sanest thing he'd ever thought of.

"MURDERER!" Everyone on the street stopped and looked at him. He pointed the Hojo and continued to scream. "You killed my brother! Don't lie, I know you did! You killed my brother because he had everything you would never have! Why'd you do it? Is that the reason?" The people on the street began to talk amongst themselves, staring at Hojo with fear and anger.

"I don't know what you're…" Hojo tried to say.

"LIAR! You killed him! YOU KILLED HIM!" Zel felt himself starting to fall apart. Sure, he could die now. Maybe everyone would see that Hojo was crazy if he just dropped dead on the ground.

"Boy, you are crazy. I am a _scientist._ I've never killed…" Zel couldn't stand in anymore. He gave up on being discreet.

"YOU KILLED VINCENT VALENTINE!" The street went silent, there was no doubt that everyone in Midgar had come to know (and fear) the illustrious gunman, whether he liked it or not. Hojo's eyes went wide, then narrowed. Zel watched him reach into his coat and begin to pull something out.

"Now you're gonna kill me too? With the _same_ weapon?!" Zel challenged. Everyone on the street looked again and Hojo, but someone beat Zel to yelling the best words ever.

"He's got a gun!" Hojo looked at the gun in his hand, and then glared at Zel. Zel smiled heartlessly back.

"I've got proof!" Zel shouted. The gun discharged, missing Zel's head by inches. "HA! If we're not at point blank, you have a horrible shot!" The bullet was closer this time, but Zel managed to avoid it again. He then turned on his heel and ran for the gates out of the city. He needed to hide…The Wasteland seemed like a good place to go…

_As long as it was away from River…_ He heard the sound of feet following him. Looking back, he saw the Shinra guards coming after him. A wicked smile crossed his lips and he turned away from them.

For the first time in his life, Zel ran from death.

**

* * *

From the Tower of the Gods**

Lilith stood on the balcony, looking down at the scene below her. The guards were trying to push the gathering crowd back. People were asking who was shot.

No one…yet.

She'd heard the whole conversation via her computer, (See, the security cameras were worth something!) but had ran out here to catch the end. Now she watched as Zel bolted from view, about twenty guards rushing after him.

"Good one, Zel…" she said. And she meant it. Silent tears fell from her eyes as she looked down at the world below her. She pulled out her phone, smiling sadly.

"Your code lasted longer than you did…" she said her voice soft and cracking with emotion. "Was it worth it? You died for someone. That girl is lucky…she doesn't even realize it, and she's lucky…"

She'd already saved the security video and deleted it from the main system and her computer was in the process of sending it out to a few hackers she was friends with. She trusted them to put it all over the Net before the night was done.

She looked at her phone as she typed in the semi-complex code, planning on telling every Turk with a phone about Zel's exploits. She was almost done, needing one more letter (number?) before she could send it when she heard something.

Footsteps!

-Click-

Lilith knew that sound very well. All those days spending time with the Turks-Vincent and Riley especially-got her accustomed to it.

The sound of a gun being cocked, trigger ready to be pulled. And she knew the gun was only inches away from the back of her head.

"Hello Akito," she said, finishing her text. She didn't turn around, but she knew he was there.

"Give me the phone, Lilith." He prodded her with the gun. Was that supposed to scare her?

_Shoot me, coward!_ "No."

"That's that damn code, isn't it? What, do you think those stupid Turks can save you?" Akito spat.

"Those 'damn Turks' are twice the men you'll ever be. Even the girls." Lilith turned around and faced him, staring down the barrel of the gun with defiance. She moved her thumb to push the send button.

"Don't, Lilith!"

"What? Will you shoot me? I doubt it. I know you _want_ me, Akito. It's not going to happen, though. Over my dead body!" She smiled and pressed send. Akito's eyes lit with furry and he aimed the gun at her again.

"Then it seems I'll take that from your dead body."

Lilith, like always, was one step ahead of him. She took the phone and threw it over the railing of the balcony, watching with satisfaction as it fell towards the ground.

"NO!" Akito pushed her out of the way and groped for the phone. Lilith hit the ground hard enough to knock the wind out of her but scrambled back to her feet and bolted back through the door into her office. She grabbed her laptop, her bag, and her gun (25th birthday present from Vincent and Zel…thank you boys!) and bolted from the room, locking the door behind her.

"Ma'am?" her secretary, Clare, looked confused. "You're leaving…early?" Lilith gave the woman a sincere smile.

"Yea. I think…I need some sleep. I'll be back tomorrow…oh, and take the rest of the day off, would you?" Clare looked shocked (the happy type, Lilith noticed) and nodded, proceeding to pack up for the day. Lilith smiled and practically skipped from the building, laughing to herself as she thought of Akito being locked in her office until she came back.

Thank the Gaia for locks.

**

* * *

In the Wasteland (Body and Soul)**

He'd never run so fast in his life. He knew that was the truth. Somehow, he'd made it out here without getting shot and killed. Every bit of him was screaming for rest, a break, for him to _stop running away_. Finally, he reached it: the single cliff in the whole expanse of the Wasteland between Kalm and Midgar. From there, Zel could see everything, including the best view of Midgar.

He lay down on his back on the top of the cliff, breathing hard. He stretched his hands out beside him, palm up, and looked at the sky. Ironically it was clear and blue, not a cloud in the sky.

His phone vibrated. It didn't scare him this time. Did that mean he was turning into Drakra? Zel shuddered. Just thinking the name of his "dark form" scared him. He hated when he lost control. Best stay on top of things now…

He pulled the phone out and saw the message-coded, of course- was from Lilith. He smiled and put the phone back in his pocket, message unread. He really didn't feel like decoding things right now. Plus she'd sent the message to all the others. He'd hear about it eventually.

Suddenly Zel found himself laughing manically, tears falling from his eyes uncontrollably.

What a strange mix of emotions.

"Can you see it? Are you looking down at me now? Or is it up? You always said we were going to Hell!" he screamed. "Why did you go first, huh? Wasn't I supposed to die first? Huh? CAN YOU HEAR ME VINCENT? I'm talking to YOU! Look at the sky! It's _mocking _me!" Zel pulled a knife from his pocket and threw it up into the sky. It landed right next to his face, cutting the skin and leaving a long bleeding gash on the side of his face. Zel didn't really care though.

"You know…I bet you're in Heaven…"

**

* * *

Zel's Resolve**

He lay there for who knows how long, reviewing every memory, every moment, every conversation…all of it. It took him all that time to realize this.

All Vincent had ever wanted him to do was live.

And all Zel'd ever wanted to do was die.

The hysterics had turned on then, for the second (third? Fourth? He'd lost count) time that day.

"We're two halves of a yin-yang. You were all that was good, and I was all that was evil…only it was hidden by appearances…" he whispered into the sky. Sometime during his mourning the sky had darkened from storm clouds gathering over the Wasteland. Rain started to fall. "Look, Vince…the Planet's mourning you too." Zel sighed. He didn't think he had any more tears left in his body.

He sat up, wet hair clinging to his face and head. His clothes were soaked already with water and mud. He stood up and looked to the sky, head back like a turkey trying to drown itself. Lighting flashed and thunder followed close behind it. Zel knew the danger he was in standing at the highest point around.

He didn't move.

"Remember when I told you I was afraid of lightning? You said I had nothing to worry about…because storms were apart of nature…it wasn't out to hurt me, you said. I don't fear lighting anymore…I don't know _what_ I fear anymore…" Zel smiled.

"You think I'm an idiot, don't cha? That, after all this time…I'm still just _mourning_ you…I'm not doing anything to change it…just saying that you're dead because you were shot and that's it, it's over…" He moved forward and sat down on the edge, his legs dangling over and swinging freely.

"You said you'd live for both of us…all those times I got sick…I _made _myself sick…you lived for both of us. You made me do things I thought I never could…Hell, I'm getting _married_! It was like…I was living through you sometimes…Maybe I should return the favor? Maybe…maybe it's time that…that I lived for us now…" He stood up again and walked down from the cliff, going so he was standing directly under where he'd been sitting before. He pulled out a knife and stared at the rock. Then he began to carve.

It took him well over an hour, but when he was done, he smiled. Stepping back from the rock, he nodded as he read over his work.

_Vincent Sanosuke Valentine_

_The "Dirge"_

_Brother, Friend, Turk, Hero_

_Savior to us all, even if he didn't know it_

_Never Say We Die and We will Rise Again_

Those short, few words weren't enough to totally remember Vincent, but it was the best Zel could do. Under the words was Zel's best interpretation of "Cerberus," from Vincent's favorite story from the Cetra's period. Zel smiled at the memory. Zel liked Omega, who the Cetra predicted would take all the souls and transport them to a better place, and Vincent liked Cerberus, guardian to Hell.

"I-I'm going to start over again, Vincent," Zel told the grave he'd made. "Like you…always wanted me too…alright?"

Just then his phone buzzed. Zel pulled it out of his pocket, surprised the thing still worked.

"Hello?" he asked.

"ZEL! You're alright! Thank the Gaia…I was about to murder Hojo myself…" It was River. "Where _are_ you? I was worried! WHY DON'T YOU EVER PICK UP YOUR PHONE?!"

"I'm in the Wastelands…I'm sorry, I didn't feel the phone vibrate…" This was a lie…he had been ignoring his phone for the whole time. He heard River sigh with relief.

"You're alive…tha-that's all that matters…"

"Ri…were you crying?"

"NO! I mean…yea…yea I was…I…I thought I'd _lost_ you, Zel…"

"Don't worry, I'm comin' back…I've decided to start over…"

"Start over?"

"You know, say goodbye to 'Drakra' and my insanity. No more suicide attempts, no more drugs, alcohol…I'm starting new…" River squealed loudly.

"Zel! I'm so proud of you! All it took was a trip to the Wasteland for you to decide all this?"

"No…it took a huge slap in the face from Reality," Zel replied.

"Thank you Reality."

"Amen sister." Comfortable silence set in.

"So…you're coming home?"

"Soon…Just have to finish up here," Zel said, looking at the bare rock next to his brother's makeshift grave. He had an idea.

"Alright…And Zel?"

"Yes River?"

"I love you."

"I love you too, River." Zel smiled as he hung up the phone, pulling out his carving knife again. Next to Vincent's grave he carved again.

_I, Zeliki Norumik Strife, _

_Hereby declare to:_

_1. Never again give up on the life given me_

_2. To protect the ones I love_

_3. Remember the sacrifices made by my family and friends_

_4. Live to the best of my ability, in honor of my brother_

_These four things I swear to live by for the rest of my days, however long or short they may be. With this I say goodbye to the insanity that has plagued me for all of my twenty-six years of existence, and pledge to start anew._

Zel smiled at the oath and nodded. He felt a huge wait lift from his shoulders, as if he could feel the insanity of twenty-six years lift from his body and be bound to the rock itself. He turned away and began his long walk back to Midgar, smiling.

"You know what, Vincent? I don't think it's that hard to be optimistic….Think I should try?"

**

* * *

Watching Over You**

"Think I should try?" Zel asked. Vincent walked next to his brother, chuckling. He'd come a long way in the past twelve hours…a longer way than the fourteen years Vincent spent with him, alive.

"Yeah, of course," Vincent said, though he knew Zel couldn't hear him and didn't even know he was there. Zel smiled and nodded.

"You'd want me too..." He said. "So I will!" Vincent smiled, putting his arm around his brother's shoulder. Sure, Zel couldn't feel it or anything, but it was a habit of Vincent's that even Death couldn't break. Zel seemed comforted none the less.

"Well…Off to home," Zel said smiling and speeding up slightly. Vincent easily stayed in step with him.

Briefly Vincent looked over his shoulder, at the cliff where Zel had chosen his grave. Standing on top he saw a dark shadow, watching Zel with burning orange eyes. Vincent was slightly amused, seeing the shadow.

"So that's Drakra? Well…Zel doesn't need you anymore, buddy. Might as well move on!" Vincent yelled back at the shadow. Drakra, the embodiment of Zel's insanity, looked to Vincent and nodded.

The shadow faded into dust, and Zel moved on.

* * *

**A/N: **Yup, there's Zel's last name...But if you've read How To Be Human, that's really no surprise. So...don't worry, Cloud! You're emo-ness is genetic! lol... 

How'd you like it? I swear, the next one will have Reeve in it! Thank you for reading! Reviewers get a Vincent Plushie!

Also, I'm beginning to wonder if I'm going to have to change the rating on this...just look out for that, okay?


	12. Chapter 11: The Plus Side to Stupidity

**A/N: Okay, sorry it took so long to post! I've been suffering from major writers block and am having trouble figuring out how to move the plot along...if anyone has any suggustions or something they think needs to be in the plot, please tell me!**

**Se condly: NOTICE THE CHANGE IN RATING! I've decided that soon there will be a lot more violence and blood and so I've upped the rating. **

**Plus it's _Hojo _we're talking about here...ug...**

**On a happier note:**

**Thanks to DreamlessRiver, Riley Valentine, and the shocked Lord Makura. You all reviewed the last chapter, so here are your Vincent Plushies:-)**

**Hope you enjoy! **

* * *

Nobody's Listening

Chapter Eleven: The Plus Side to Stupidity

**Secret Agent Boy **

Reeve knew what he was doing was stupid.

To say the least.

Zel had told him to lay low, stay out of sight. Hojo knew who he was now and probably knew how to find him easily. If he just stayed away from anything to do with Shinra and what he'd seen, then everything should be fine. Those were Zel's orders.

So why exactly was Reeve "borrowing" one of Captain Highwind's one man ships and heading towards Nibelhiem's Shinra Mansion?

He didn't know, but he was sure glad that Cid had taught him to fly one of these things.

He parked the craft in one of the many clearings in the forest that stretched around the base of Mt. Nibel and advanced the rest of the way on foot. Cait bounced around his feet and then jumped nimbly to his shoulder, purring like a real cat would.

_Turn around._

Reeve cringed. He had wondered how long it would take Vincent to find him and figure out exactly what he was doing. He pretended not to hear the spirit-man and kept on walking.

_Turn around _now_, Reeve._

Reeve just walked faster. Ha! As if he could outrun a dead man.

_Reeve, I know you can hear me. Turn around, would you? Hojo's still there you know!_

_**Yeah, I know. Don't worry about me, Vincent. I'll be alright.**_

_Don't worry? DON'T WORRY?! Kid, that man kills without thinking about it. The minute you walk in there you're mincemeat, alright? I just don't want you lying next to me on a lab table._

_**So he is using your body for experiments?**_

_Yes._

Reeve shivered slightly from the anger that resonated in Vincent's voice. But he didn't dwell on it, because he had arrived at the Shinra Mansion and needed a clear head now.

_**Uh…Vincent?**_

_What?_

_**Can I ask you a strange question?**_

_Sure…why not? Shoot away, kid._

_**Where's Miss Lucrecia's room?**_

_You little prev._

_**Wait! It's not like that! I'm just checking up on her! Really!**_

_Heh, I'm just kidding, Reeve. It's around back, the one with the balcony._

_**O-okay, thanks…**_

"That wasn't funny," Reeve muttered to himself, running stealthily around the building and spotting the room with the balcony. And, much to his amusement, there was a pine tree located close enough to the house that if he climbed up high enough, he'd be able to jump to the balcony.

It made Reeve feel like a secret agent.

He ascended the tree quickly, finally seeing the benefit of all those camping trips his dad made him go on. When he finally made it to a safe branch to sit on, he peered into the room through the glass-paneled doors, surprised to see Hojo and Lucrecia occupying the room.

It looked like they were arguing. Lucrecia was crying and holding her head in her hands. Hojo was pacing around her and waving his arms around like he was attempting to fly. His face was red (Like, really red) and his eyes were bulging out of his head.

Reeve felt really bad for Lucrecia right now. He strained his ears, trying to hear what they were arguing about.

* * *

**Dealing with the Devil**

"Just let me see him, Hojo!" Lucrecia cried. She refused to look up from her hands, knowing he was glaring at her, waiting for her to submit, as always, to his anger.

"No! You'll ruin the whole experiment!" he said, sneering.

"Please! He's my son!" she screamed into her hands, almost like she didn't believe it herself. "My son…Sephiroth…" The word sounded bitter from her lips.

"Motherly love does not make a good soldier!" Hojo answered.

"Screw soldiers! I just want him to be a good _person_!"

"He will be strong enough to be the ruler of the whole world! He doesn't _have_ to be a good person!"

"Fuck you!"

"You already did." Lucrecia's eyes shot up from her hands and she glared at him, blushing angrily.

"How could you say that?!" she cried, looking at him like he were the Devil incarnate.

"Because words are meaningless, but your actions condemn you."

"Why you? Why did I pick _you_?!" she sobbed into her hands again, falling to her knees. "Vincent, forgive me. Please forgive me."

"The boy is dead! Why must you listlessly continue to bring him up?" Hojo roared.

"Because, even dead, he's twelve times the man you are! Oh Vincent, I'm so sorry! You were right…why didn't I listen?!"

Hojo crossed to her and pulled her roughly to her feet, slapping her across the face. He then stormed from the room, slamming the door and locking her into her gilded cage. She bolted after him, banging her hands on the door and screaming.

"LET ME OUT! LET ME OUT OF HERE! YOU CAN'T KEEP ME HERE! HOJO! LISTEN TO ME!" she screamed, pounding on the door and trying to get the doorknob to open. "BASTARD! COME BACK AND FACE ME YOU COWARD!"

Silence answered her. She kicked the door before sliding to the floor, sobbing bitterly.

"Shut up you!" she said, seemingly to no one. "I know you find this funny!" She slammed her head against the door, screaming in anger. "Be silent, demon! Be silent, calamity! You've had your way, leave me alone!" She took in a few short, ragged breaths.

"Leave me, Jenova!"

* * *

**Another Lapse into Psychosis**

Reeve chocked back tears, watching the grown woman break down into a crumpled heap. What happened to her? Was this what Vincent was trying to prevent?

And who was Jenova?

_**Vincent, do you know anything about this?**_ Silence. _**Vincent?!**_ Reeve was alone.

He thought.

"My my my, hasn't anyone ever told you that eavesdropping is rude?" Reeve jumped and just about fell out of the tree. Two strong, clawed hands held him in place, saving him from a nasty descent.

Wait, _claws_?!

"W-what?! Who?!" Reeve spun around, almost falling off the tree again, and stared the thing in the eyes.

It looked like a dog, if a dog stood on two legs, had very sharp silver claws, purple and black fur, and stood taller than Captain Highwind. Black beady eyes stared back at him with interest, smiling (and showing some _very_ sharp teeth).

"I am Galian of the Southern Mountains, but the beloved Cetra called me Galian Beast. You may call me either, Ser Tuesti."

"Y-You know my name?" Reeve stuttered. He rubbed his eyes, thinking that the lack of sleep was making him see and hear things…again.

"Of course. There really is little I _don't_ know, Ser Tuesti."

_**Vincent?! W here **_**are**_** you?! I could really use your help right now!**_

"Oh, your undead friend is not here right now. The Laws of Apparition states that the once-living can not appear to those they loved or the one (or ones) that killed them. And, unfortunately for you, the two people in that room both fit into one of those two categories," the thing, Galian Beast, answered.

"Did you just read my mind?"

"Only because you opened it to be read."

"I don't mean to be rude, but what are you?" Reeve asked, smiling weakly. (He knew it. He was steadily going crazy. Wait…crazy people didn't know they were crazy…right?)

To his surprise, the Beast just laughed.

"I, Ser Tuesti, am a guardian of this Planet, born of the Lifestream and created for the sole purpose of protecting this world from shear destruction. The Cetra had two names for sentient life forms like me. God or Demon."

"Which one are you? A god or a demon, I mean," Reeve managed to ask.

"I, according to the dear Cetra, am a demon." Reeve choked on air and wished he could back away without falling out of the tree. But the demon was not done. "There are only a few 'gods' out there, actually. My friend Dao Cho, Lady Leviathan, Lord Omega, the King of the Skies Bahamut, and the noble Knights of Round…"

"Most of those are materia summons," Reeve stated.

"Yes, many of them were imprisoned in materia for the better use in protection by the Cetra and later you Terrains. Not all went willingly, let me tell you. The Knights of Round refused to give in and eventually all had to fall on the battlefield. Even then they refused to be separated. And Bahamut went running for years!" the Beast smiled at that. "My, wasn't that a fun chase?" Reeve didn't want to be rude, but he wasn't really following all of this.

"Oh, forgive me; I must be boring you to an early grave."

"No…it's okay," he replied to the demon thing quickly.

"May I ask why you are here, young Ser Tuesti?" the Beast asked.

"I…um…I came to check on Lucrecia…er, Miss Crescent. She witnessed a murder recently and I'm afraid what might happen to her."

"But not afraid what might happen to you? Did you not witness the _same_ murder?" Galian questioned.

"How did you…wait, you know everything, right?" Reeve muttered bitterly.

"No, Ser Tuesti. Just close to that. Plus I have been observing Sira Crescent for many days, and her thoughts often drift back to you, as well as your undead friend, Ser Valentine." Reeve nodded.

"Did they love each other?" he asked the Beast. The demon sighed.

"That I know not. It seems to be a very complicated relationship…you would have to ask someone involved for a direct answer. I would like to believe that yes, they did. Or do, whatever tense you prefer. But I do not know a direct answer."

"Oh," Reeve sighed, looking away. Galian Beast moved suddenly, causing Reeve and Cait to almost loose balance again. They looked back at the demon, only to see him standing with his snout raise to the sky, growling.

"Too soon. He comes too soon!"

"What? Who comes too soon?" Reeve asked, holding onto the branch for dear life.

"My Liege. Damn you, Dao Cho! Could you not hold him off?!" Reeve was confused. If you called someone your "liege," then didn't that mean you were loyal to them and stood steadfast by them?

Guess not. Galian didn't seem too happy about this "Liege" of his.

"Of course he comes now. He knows that the last Valentine is dead. He has no reason to stay locked on this Planet…of course he comes now, before I can change anything…"

"What? What's this got to do with Vincent?" Galian turned to Reeve, shaking his head.

"You understand not, young Ser Tuesti. I have no time to explain, only time to warn. You must be out of sight, and soon. My Liege is dangerous when he is as irate as he is now." The demon pulled a piece of materia out of thin air, holding it in his palm. Reeve stared at it, surprised to see what looked like a little universe turning around inside the sphere. What type of materia was that?

"Wait! What's going on?"

"Ser Tuesti, there are people who die that are ready to be dead. There are people who die who deserve to be dead. And then there are people who are killed and they have yet to live out their purpose. Ser Valentine falls into this last category, though he knows this not."

"So? What's that mean? What are you going to do to Vincent? Hasn't he suffered enough?!" Reeve asked, voiced panicked.

"Unfortunately, Ser Tuesti, no he hasn't. Not yet…" Reeve suddenly felt two strong arms grab him and he found himself landing on the balcony with a loud and painful OMPH! Cait followed, landing on his head.

"Out of sight!" the Beast ordered. Reeve scrambled to his feet and looked behind him at the tree.

There was nothing there.

* * *

**Cries of a Fallen Angel**

"Who's there?" Reeve turned around, looking in the big glass doors at a very startled Lucrecia Crescent.

"Hi?" Reeve said, waving meekly. Lucrecia's eyes went wide and she scrambled forward to open the door. The second she had Cait jumped into her arms, purring and nuzzling against her chest. Reeve blushed, wishing for the first time that he hadn't made Cait Sith quite so cat-like.

"Reeve? What are you doing here?" she asked, looking slightly amused by Cait's actions but completely anxious by his sudden appearance.

"Um…I came to check on you?" he said, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"You came…for me?" she asked, eyes widening. "Reeve, why? You're in _danger_ here; you do know that, right?"

"Yeah, well more people are going to believe an esteemed scientist over a bratty little twelve year old, so don't worry!" Reeve said quickly, smiling. Lucrecia's frown deepened; not the reaction Reeve was looking for.

"Come inside, quickly," she said, opening the door wide enough for him to get in and looking out at the forest behind him.

"What's wrong?" he asked, sitting on her bed as she closed the door with a sigh and locking it.

"Did you just hear someone say 'Out of sight means out of mind?'" she asked, biting her lip. Reeve shook his head. He hadn't heard anything, but he could have guessed who was speaking.

"Great," Lucrecia muttered. "More voices." Reeve pretended not to hear.

"Are you alright, Miss Crescent?" he asked, watching her with worry. She'd begun to pace now. It almost reminded Reeve of Zel.

"I'm fine, Reeve," she lied. Reeve knew she was lying. After the argument he'd seen between her and Hojo, how could the worlds "I'm fine" be the truth?

"No you're not. You want to see your son, right? But Hojo's keeping you away from him, just like he is Vincent…"

"Reeve, how long were you sitting on my balcony?" Lucrecia asked, sounding slightly amused.

"Not long. I was listening from the tree, actually. Then I fell…and landed on your balcony. Handy, huh?" Reeve said. He was beginning to think he'd imagined the whole "Galian of the Southern Mountains" thing.

"So how much of the argument did you hear?" she asked, sitting next to him on the bed. Reeve looked up at her.

"Just the end, I think. Just when you asked to see your son and Hojo said no and then there was something about Vincent…that's it, really." He decided to leave the degrading comments Hojo had said to her out of his summery.

"Oh, I see…" she replied, sighing deeply.

"Miss Crescent…did you…did you love Vincent?" Reeve asked timidly, looking up at her. He saw a few stray tears fall from her eyes as she stood up and walked quickly away from him, facing the balcony and staring out into the sky. Silence settled on them like a shroud, sucking all the life from the room. Reeve began to feel like a moron. Why did he ask such a personal question anyway?

_**Curiosity killed the Cat…**_

"Y-yes, Reeve. I-I think I did…I think I still do," Lucrecia whispered, still not looking at him. "I made a huge mistake, though. I traded his love for someone else's heartlessness. And I told myself I was happy."

_**But satisfaction brought it back.**_

Reeve hopped up and walked over to stand next to her. He saw, to his amusement, that she was still holding Cait, hugging him close like she would a stuffed animal. He reached up and took one of her hands in his, smiling. (This was how he cheered Shera up. He wondered if it worked with older girls too.)

"Reeve, why do you still have hope in me?" Lucrecia asked, kneeling to be at eye level with him.

"Because nice people like you don't come around too often," he replied. Lucrecia started laughing at that. Reeve looked at her, worried as her laughing turned to sobs.

"Nice people like me?" she sobbed, letting go of Cait Sith and holding her head in her hands. "You think I'm nice, Reeve?"

"Yes, Miss Crescent. You're really nice. You're just stuck in a bad situation, that's all!" Reeve said, trying to cheer her up. Man, it really shook him up to see her cry.

_**Fallen angel, cursed to walk among us…**_

Reeve walked over to her and threw his arms around her neck, pulling her into the tightest hug his small twelve year old form could muster. Lucrecia let out a shocked yelp and then looked at him, eyes wide.

"See? Hugs make everything better. That's what Shera says all the time," Reeve said, smiling.

"Shera?"

"She's my friend. The red-headed girl that was standing with Captain Highwind," Reeve explained, smiling as he noticed her tears had stopped.

"Oh…I remember."

"Yup. She and Cid are my best friends…kind of my only friends, actually…I'm not really a people person," Reeve confessed. Lucrecia smiled weakly. That was good enough for Reeve. He let go of her and scratched the back of his head. "Sorry about that…kind of popped your personal space bubble right then." She just laughed.

"No, thank you Reeve," she said. He blushed. Gosh, no wonder Vincent like her. She was really pretty…kind of what Reeve always imagined Shera would grow up to look like.

"Y-you're welcome." Lucrecia patted his head, smiling the way Reeve's mother did. "May I ask another question?" Lucrecia nodded. "Who's Jenova?" She laughed bitterly.

"Make yourself comfortable, Reeve. If that's your question, you're in for a _long_ story." Reeve scurried over to the bed and sat down again, Cait jumping up into his lap. He whispered the word "Record" without really thinking. And Lucrecia began.

"This is a long story," she repeated. "And it doesn't even start with Vincent."

* * *

**Foreshadowing Fate**

Galian stood on his hunches, watching the boy and the scientist talk. He pretended not to hear the branches crackle around him. His Liege had come.

"_Good_ to see you, Galian." Galian ignored him still, focusing on the boy as he listened to the scientist explain about the discovery of the Calamity.

"Speak, dog!"

"Good Twilight, Ser Chaos," Galian replied, bowing slightly. "I did not hear you, forgive my lapse of hearing." Chaos rolled his yellow eyes before allowing them to narrow into slits.

"You knew I was here. You knew I was coming," he accused.

"I do not understand. Your visit is quiet unusual. Is something wrong in the Lifestream? Has Lord Omega begun his ascent?" Galian mused, smiling his polite, toothy grin.

"You wish," Chaos squinted at Reeve and Lucrecia. "Pitiful Terrains. They make me sick."

"I am sorry to hear that, Ser. I myself find Terrains relatively entertaining. Dao Cho and I were just talking about-"

"Ah, yes. _Speaking_ of Dao Cho…" Chaos cut in. Galian winced. "You'll never guess what he _didn't_ have."

"Oh? And what was that?" he asked, knowing his façade of innocence was failing miserably.

"Where is it, Galian? And you know what 'it' is. Hand it over and your ascent back to the Lifestream will be pretty painless," Chaos threatened, holding out his leathery scaled hand expectantly.

"I don't know what you mean. It's not my turn to baby sit," Galian defended.

"Sure it's not. I was told by Ifrit that Bahamut had it, and then that sky rat Bahamut tells me that Alexander has it, who tells me it's in _Shiva's_ possession. And so on, and so forth. Do you see the wild goose chase that has led me right to your feet, Galian?"

"Well, it's nice to see my fellow guardians working together for once," Galian muttered.

"Just hand it over, damn it!"

"You only seek it now because the last Valentine is dead, is that not true?" Galian questioned.

"Of course! Now that those filthy stupid Terrains are out of the way, I can retrieve my power and go back to ruling everything like puppets!" Chaos fumed.

"Speak not, you know not the consequences," Galian stated.

"What? Are you trying to say that one of those red-eyed mutants still lives?" Chaos growled.

"No. And yes."

"Make sense, Galian, and your death will be a bit swifter."

"Keep speaking and you will seal your fate, Ser Chaos."

"What makes you think I shouldn't kill you now and get it over with?!" Chaos yelled. Galian was glad that Terrains could not hear demons unless the demons wished it.

"Because soon you'll need my assistance, of course," Galian said, nodding to the other demon. "Unfortunately, this 'wild goose chase' of your's does not end with me. I do not posses the Protomateria at this point in time, Ser Chaos. I handed it to number VII of the dignified Knights of Round just a lunar cycle ago. Accept my apology."

Chaos reared his head and screamed furiously into the sky.

"FINE! Where is this still living Valentine?! I'll take my anger out on it before leaving to rip those bloody peons limb from limb!" Chaos ordered.

"I do not understand, Ser. All the Valentines are dead," Galian said innocently. Chaos roared again and took to the sky. Galian whispered a silent warning to his fellow guardians.

_We understand. How long do you need?_ Was their hushed reply.

_**Another lunar cycle should suffice.**_

_Godspeed, brother!_

_**And the strength of thousands to you.**_

Galian didn't wish to think what would happen with Chaos learned that he'd been three feet from his precious Protomateria during their whole conversation. He pulled the Protomateria out of thin air again, staring at it.

"All the Valentines lay dead at peace. Their souls rest in eternal slumber, never to awaken again…All but one…" he whispered, rolling the materia around in his palm. "All but him…"

Galian stared at the full moon, smiling. He howled long and loud, listening to the far off echoes and replies of his brethren.

"And so begins the tale and trials of the Dirge…"

* * *

**A/N: Poor Chaos...so misled...lol...Okay, I'm offically creeped out by typing like Hojo...did I do a good job, or is he a bit OOC? I wouldn' know...I don't specialize in crazy scientists. **

**Anyway, thank you for reading. Please review if you get a chance. :-)**


	13. Chapter 12: Desperate Times

**A/N: Sorry it took so long to update! I hope this chapter is enjoyable. It's kind of a funny one, with seriousness intertwinted.**

**Thanks for sticking with me! Enjoy!**

* * *

Nobody's Listening

Chapter Twelve: Desperate Times Call for Cross-Dressing

**Desperate Times…**

Zel was freaking out. First of all, he got a call from a very stressed out Samuel Tuesti, calling to find his son. Of course, Zel hadn't seen Reeve since he'd been dragged away by Sam and Takota. Sam said that Reeve had left a note that he'd gone to Nibelheim.

That's about when Zel's heart stopped.

Then, Reeve Tuesti had shown up at his door soaking wet and smiling while trying to keep his precious robot dry. Zel's heart started again long enough to yell at the kid for leaving before he had to go rest for ten minutes to recover from the time he'd forgotten to breath.

So after calling Sam back and listening to Reeve get _another_ lecture, he was finally starting to calm down.

Until River had politely mentioned that the authorities were looking for Zel, meaning it really wasn't good for Reeve to be here. 

Great. Just _great_.

And, on top of _all_ that, Zel had, _that morning_, found a BlackOrder Letter hidden in a book he'd stolen from Vincent's office two days before his older brother had "disappeared."

Now Reeve was staring at him as he paced back and forth, trying desperately to figure out how to keep the boy safe and speak to Verdot. 

Verdot was the only one who could decipher the Letter. Reeve was the only "free" witness to Vincent's murder. And Zel was stuck in his house, under personal house arrest.

What was a Turk to do!

_I've got to talk to Verdot_. 

"Zel, what'cha thinking about?" Reeve asked, politely accepting an apple from River. The female ex-Turk sat down next to the boy, waiting for Zel's answer as well. Zel hadn't told River about the Letter yet. 

"Shera," he lied. River rolled her eyes.

"Your little Cinderella is fine and you know it," she scolded. "What's the real issue?" Zel wondered briefly if he could pull the "I'm suicidal, please save me" excuse. Probably not, seeing as he'd sworn on Vincent's grave never to try to take his own life again. 

He was running out of options quick. 

"Come on, Zel! Just tell us," Reeve said. Sure, Zel was going to listen to a kid fourteen years his junior. 

"Fine, don't talk. Reeve, how was your visit with Dr. Crescent?" River asked, turning her attention away from her soon to be husband and looking at Reeve, who was more than happy to explain what he'd heard from Lucrecia. Zel stopped pacing and listened intently to the boy's words. 

Here's a summery: JENOVA DEATH. 

Zel watched River's face the whole time, especially after Reeve had gotten to the part about Lucrecia's being forced away from her only child. Zel couldn't help but wonder _who_ the father of the kid was. Because he was sure that Vincent had been there "done the deed," but he didn't know if that before or after Hojo. 

And honestly, he didn't want to know.

But River, despite her years of Turk training and endless practice of hiding emotions, couldn't overcome her motherly instincts.

"THAT GOOD FOR NOTHING BASTARD!" Reeve jumped and scooted away from River. She was pissed. Reeve had just finished explaining the conversation he'd overheard between the two scientists. 

Zel had to admit, Hojo's reply to "fuck you" had him a little miffed as well.

"Yeah, that's kind of what I thought," Reeve replied, sighing. 

"Ugh, I want to kill him even _more_ than I did before!" River fumed. Zel laughed slightly. He didn't think that it was possible for River to get any angrier at his brother's murderer, but he was proud to be wrong. 

Reeve finished his story, but Zel noticed that it felt like he'd left something out. He didn't press it, though. 

"Thanks for that, Reeve. I'll analyze it and see what we can use from her narrative," River said. Reeve nodded, petting Cait Sith absently. Zel knew he should get Reeve a _real_ cat for his birthday. He really needed one.

"Now your turn," Reeve said to Zel. 

"Fine," Zel caved. "I found one of Vincent's Letters this morning." River gasped, but Reeve looked confused.

"Letters?" 

"Yeah, one of the BlackOrder Letters. Only, it's not finished and I can't figure it out. I need to talk to Verdot, but seeing him puts all of us in danger…" Zel sighed. "I'm desperate. I'll do _anything_." 

River smiled suddenly, standing up quickly. 

"Really?" Zel's expression was priceless: a mix of pure horror and embarrassment.

"Anything EXEPT that!" 

"Aw, but Zel! You look so _good_ in pink," River laughed. Reeve looked _very_ confused.

"What in the world?" he asked, looking from Zel to River and back again. 

"Zel, come on. You have no other choice!" River smiled broadly. "It's the _only_ way you can talk to Verdot without putting us all in danger." Zel muttered a few choice cuss words under his breath before finally consenting.

"Fine!" he yelled, exasperated. "I'll go _call_ Nara…" He stood up and walked out of the room, still cussing. 

"River?" 

"Yes Reeve?"

"Who's Nara?" River smiled at this.

"You'll see, Reeve. You'll see…" 

**Desperate Measures (Zel's Antics)**

"As of now, you're cheating on me." Verdot looked up from his paperwork, looking quiet confused. Freya stood in front of his desk, hands on her hips. In one hand, of course, was her cell phone, with the none too obvious Dirge Code on the screen. 

"What?" he asked. 

"You're cheating on me, as of now. Of course, I don't know about this and am going to be totally innocent when I 'find out,'" Freya said again. 

"Again, what!" Verdot stayed. Freya rolled her eyes. 

"Nara called me," she finally said. "Told me she'd like to go on a date with you." Verdot dropped his pen and his eyes widened. 

"WHAT!" 

"Date's at four. You'll be tracked, be careful what you say." 

"Freya, I'm not dating Z…er, Nara," Verdot said, sounding slightly amused. Time to play up the joke. Freya quickly looked out of his office for signs of anyone coming towards the office. She pulled her head back in and smiled at him.

"Can you believe it?" she whispered, giggling.

"Zel must be desperate," Verdot answered, shaking his head. 

"Very! He hasn't 'called' Nara in years!" Freya did her best to keep from laughing out loud. "Take pictures for me." 

"I probably won't have to. My money is on Shinra watching me even during this 'date.'"

"All the more reason to watch what you say. According to Twitch, it's about a Letter," Freya said, somber mood a striking difference. Verdot nodded. 

"I figured."

**Twilight's View**

Verdot walked slowly towards the café where he "agreed" to meet Nara. The café, called Twilight's View, used to be a regular Turk meeting place. Verdot remembered the many times every Turk had come here for dinner, lunch, breakfast, or whatever in-between meal they wanted. It had always been a "Turk Thing," but others tended to come to hang out with the rag-tag renegades as well. Shera, Zel's semi-adopted daughter and Takota Highwind were two of the most memorable. 

The café held a lot of memories. The Turks were regulars, so the owner, Jak, knew them all by name and code name, and tended to let them do pretty much whatever they wanted. There were the drinking contests, the talking about work, the people bashing, and the fights. All of it seemed only to bring more customers to this place. 

The most amusing memory was the one (and only) time Verdot had ever seen Vincent get smashed. It was after a particularly bad mission (at least on their terms) and Dirge was a bit down in the dumps. Unknowingly, he'd accepted a bet with the Twins, Rito and Tori, and agreed to drink a whole bottle of the strongest stuff Jak had. Vincent did, surprising not only Jak but every Turk present _and_ the VP Lilith (that took a lot, my friends). And, to add to the shock, he didn't seem to be affected by the strong liquor at all. He could walk a straight line, talk without slurring his words, and still comprehend an intelligent conversation. Basically, there was no way to tell he was drunk.

Until he'd grabbed Riley and proceeded to make out with her. 

Out of self preservation, Riley had hit a few pressure points, knocked Vincent out, and then made everyone swear by gunpoint to never tell the Field Leader what happened. (Verdot was sure Vincent learned eventually.) 

Smiling at the "good times," Verdot took his normal seat and proceeded to wait for Nara.

It wasn't long before Jak came over and slid across from Verdot, smiling. 

"'Ello Turk, been awhile," he said, nodding. Verdot nodded back. 

"Hello Jak. How have you been?"

"Oh, I've been good. Been better, actually. Who ya waiting for? Freya?"

"No, actually. I'm scheduled to meet Nara today." Verdot waited. He knew Jak had every idea who "Nara" was. His assumptions were proven when the man burst out laughing. 

"Ah…What will Freya think? Cheatin' on her, eh? I'll tell, Turk, watch out," Jak laughed, totally joking, but if anyone had been listening to their conversation (and Verdot was sure there was someone) wouldn't have been about to tell. Verdot just laughed along with the man. "May I ask about somber news?" Jak asked suddenly.

"Yes, of course…just watch your tongue. Don't push me to cut it out," Verdot said. The whole statement was a little used code, basically saying "I'm tracked, they're watching, watch what you say."

"Is it true? Dirge is dead?" Verdot nodded, refusing to make eye contact with the man. "Shit…" Jak looked shocked. "Never thought he'd be _first_." 

"None of us did, Jak." 

"Obviously. You shoulda seen Zel a few days ago. Dear Gaia, he was running like a madman from this whole mess of Shinra grunts, screaming something about a murderer. Crazy kid, ain't he?" Something in Jak's eyes told Verdot that he knew more than he was letting on. But, of course, Jak wasn't an idiot. He knew where to go to get information. 

"Nara! Over here!" Jak called, waving over to a woman walking towards them. Verdot couldn't help but smile. 

Yes, Zel must _have_ been desperate.

**A Meeting with Nara Ikilez **

"Nara, good to see you," Verdot said, smiling at the woman. Nara nodded back to him, sitting down in the chair that Jak had just vacated. "How long has it been? A few years, at least." 

"Yes, about two, I believe," Nara replied. Verdot nodded, smiling at the voice.

Damn, Zel was good at falsetto. 

Yes, everyone. Nara Ikilez was actually Zel in his best disguise ever. (Once again, quiet a bit of memories came with the sight.) 

But you couldn't tell at all that Zel was sitting there. In fact, if Verdot hadn't already known that Zel's 'girl personality' was Nara, he'd never had guessed. Not even with the last name Zel had chosen for his disguise being his first name backwards (Zeliki Ikilez). 

It was just another reason why Verdot pitied Zel. 

"So, what did you need to talk about, Nara?" he asked, waiting. Zel was going to desperate lengths to get a hold of him. It would have to be important.

"Well, I found this letter in one of my books," Zel…er, Nara, said, pulling a folded piece of paper from her (his?) purse and handing it to Verdot. "Written to you from the Dirge himself, may he rest." 

Verdot unfolded the letter, instantly recognizing the BlackOrder format. He also noticed the letter wasn't finished, because there was no "Sincerely." That would make deciphering the code a bit more difficult. 

But maybe that's what Vincent wanted.

"I'm guessing it's coded?" Nara asked. Verdot nodded silently, sighing as he stared at the letter. "Would you prefer to meet another time? I know this must be hard on you." 

_What of you, Zel? He was _your_ brother!_

"No, I am fine. I worry about Zel, though." 

"Ah yes, Dirge's brother. Why?" Verdot's head snapped up from the letter, staring at Nara with surprise. 

"Well, this must be horrible for him. He has no family left."

"Oh yes, Miss River is just dirt, of course. And what about that cute little girl, Shera? I believe he needs to look at what he has, not what he's lost." 

Verdot smiled slightly and looked back down at the paper. Zel had changed. 

It was about time!

"Can you decipher it here, or do you need something from your office?" Nara asked. 

"No, here's fine. Just give me a second…The letter is not complete, so the code's not all here…"

"Oh…" Verdot focused on the letter. He was dreadfully repulsed by the subject of the letter, much to his own surprise. It was about Vincent's father, and his views on how the man might have died. What really disturbed him was the last completed line in the letter.

"_I lived side by side with his murderer, letting him take everything until nothing was left."_

"Well?" Nara pulled him from his trance. Verdot angrily wondered (again) why Vincent had never taught his own brother this code, but why beat a dead horse?

"The code is confusing, but here it is: 'Left is my will and testament with Cait Sith, shall he ever learn to speak, my darkest secrets be revealed.' Damn Vincent, what the hell?" Verdot sighed. "That probably doesn't help. I have no idea who Cait Sith is." 

Verdot looked up. By the look on Nara's face, she knew who "Cait Sith" might be. She stared into Verdot's eyes, as if that alone would make him understand. 

"Cait Sith means 'little cat.' Does that help at all?" Nara asked. 

Verdot caught on immediately. Cait Sith, or, as the Turks called him, _Ketto Shi_. Real name?

Reeve Tuesti.

"_Protect Cait Sith."_

Protect Reeve.

"Well, I'll look into this, then. Try to find this little cat," Nara said, standing up. 

"Wait!" Verdot practically shouted. Nara stopped and looked at him. Verdot was panicking. How could he tell Zel about the danger the boy was in without alerting those watching him? 

"Don't worry. This cat of Vincent's will be safe with me," Nara said, smiling. 

Something told Verdot that, for once, Zel was actually ten steps ahead of everyone else. 

**Cheater, Cheater, Pumpkin Eater**

When the call came, Freya was ready. She took her own pace to the President's office, preparing herself for what she was going to assume would be the best acting of her life. 

She wasn't surprised to see Hojo, Lilith, President Shinra, and a few others in the office when she arrived. She also wasn't surprised to see the projection screen with Verdot sitting at his regular table at Twilight's View. She smiled when she saw Jak. 

"You called, sir?" she asked innocently. Lilith looked away. 

"I thought you'd want to see this, Freya," the President said, smiling and gesturing to a seat. Freya took in, showing discomfort. She wasn't used to being with all these big-wigs. At least, not without Verdot. 

She watched the projection screen and saw Nara appear on screen. The President smiled wickedly as Freya's face fell.

"No…" she whispered, looking at the screen. Lilith's eyes darted from Freya to Nara and back to Freya. She caught on immediately. 

"Freya, he probably can explain," Lilith said quickly.

"He…he's…he…" Freya stuttered. The President's smile grew wider as Freya stood shakily up from her seat. She forced herself to bite back tears. "P-permission to be…excused sir?" 

"Of course. I just thought you'd want to know." 

"T-Thank you sir…" Freya said, turning from the people in the room. She left through the oak doors and then, to add to the show, covered her face with her hands and fled back to the Turk's floor. 

Once there, she called River. 

"Checkmate." 

**Sly Sly, Ketto Shi**

Reeve had gotten over his original shock of seeing Zel dress up like a girl. It had taken some time, but it eventually had worn off. 

He promised not to tell any of the Highwinds.

River had just received the "checkmate" phone call from Freya, meaning that Zel was on his way back. 

Hopefully that was good news. 

Twenty minutes later, Zel (not Nara) walked through the door, throwing a duffle bag on the couch and sitting on the floor. 

"Welcome back, Zel," River laughed, smiling at him. Zel looked up, nodded, and then put his head in his knees again. 

"What is it? Bad news?" Reeve asked.

"'Left is my will and testament with Cait Sith, shall he ever learn to speak, my darkest secrets be revealed.'" Zel quoted. "That's what the Letter said." 

"What?" Reeve and River asked in unison. Reeve ran over and scooped up Cait Sith, staring the cat in the eyes. 

"How could that be possible? I had no idea who Vincent was before I saw him…uh…" 

"Yeah, but how long have we called you Ketto? Or, Cait, for modern translation?" River added. "Ever since we caught you spying on us two years ago. Remember?" Reeve nodded.

"Did you ever misplace your little robot? Sometime in the last two years?" Zel asked.

"No! Never! I keep him with me always!" Reeve stated, looking horrified. His face lit up suddenly. "Wait…there was that one time." 

"When?" River asked.

"It was…um…six months ago. I left Cait in my dad's office on accident. The next day, he wasn't there. But then, two days later, he showed up on our doorstep, in perfect shape. Nothing was wrong, so I guessed it was the Highwinds who'd found him," Reeve explained. 

"Do you think Vincent might have recorded something?" River asked. Zel stood up and looked at Reeve. 

"Hey, can I see ya, Ketto Shi?" he said to Cait. Despite Reeve's protests, the robot jumped from his hands and to Zel. Zel smiled and gestured for them to go to the computer room under the house.

Once there, Zel hooked Cait to the computer and watched as all his memory came up. 

"What are you looking for?" River asked as Reeve moved to stand beside Zel, watching the screen.

"Something that shouldn't be here, something obvious but not noticeable…."

"Something like that!" Reeve stated, pointing to what looked like a video clip of static. Using the mouse of the computer, Zel clicked on it. Static filled the screen, with words in red coming in over it.

_Say nothing, unheard, and life will end. Silence reigns until the Dirge rings the bell and the Soul is complete. The Dirge is my calling, hear my cry._

"What?" Reeve said, looking at the words. River looked just as confused as he did.

But Zel wasn't.

_Answer._

"In Their language, my name is Drakra. But to you, my name is Death. Let me speak," Zel said to the computer. The words filled in on the screen in blue. Reeve's eyes widened, River gasped…Zel remained silent. 

A voice played from the computer.

"I knew it. Too easy." 

It was Vincent. 

* * *

**A/N: CLIFFHANGER:-) I'm mean, yes I am. :-)**

**Apart of a poem called "My Name Is," written by me for How To Be Human. **

**Please review! And if you don't really understand the motive behind Zel's cross-dressing adventures, head to How To be Human. That's where they'll be explained eventually. :-) Thank you!**


	14. Chapter 13: Truth and Regret

**A/N: Well, I'm certainly slacking...sorry everyone! It's spring break now, so I hope to update at least twice this week.**

**Thank you for being patient. I hope you enjoy this chapter! It's mostly the tape Vincent recorded on Cait Sith, just so you all know...**

**Enjoy!**

Nobody's Listening

Chapter 13: Truth and Regret

_Yesterday I lost my closest friend  
Yesterday I wanted time to end  
I wonder if my heart will ever mend  
I just let you slip away_

_4 AM forever_

_Maybe I'll never see you smile again  
Maybe you thought that it was all pretend;  
All these words that I could never say  
I just let them slip away_

_4 AM forever_

_Why don't you hear me when I'm calling out to you (to you)  
Why don't you listen when I try to make it through (to you)  
Goodbye, goodbye  
Goodbye, you never know  
Hold a little tighter_

_4 AM forever_

_Maybe one day when I can move along  
Maybe someday when you can hear this song  
You won't let it slip away_

_4 AM forever_

_"**4 Am Forever" by the Lost Prophets**_

* * *

**Message from the Dead**

"I knew it. Too easy," Vincent said, appearing on screen. Zel cringed at the words. Despite being a compliment, he would have preferred to hear it from his brother in person.

"But then again, simple codes like that never stopped you before, did it? Next time I'll make it harder on you, Zel."

In the background, behind Vincent, was obviously a room in the Shinra Mansion. Reeve could see a bed and a lamp, sitting on the floor. Besides that, the room was very empty. He wondered what Cait was sitting on when Vincent took this video. He guessed it was the nightstand.

"Zel, can you do me a favor? Can you apologize to the kid who owns this robot? His name's Reeve Tuesti, I think. Yes, he's a _Tuesti_, so watch it. But, of course, that's probably why he's a genius…I don't think there's ever been a stupid Tuesti…or a normal brained one, in fact…Can you believe he made this thing on his own?"

Vincent smiled slightly on screen. Zel looked at Reeve, who was biting his thumb. No one said anything.

"If you're watching this, Zel, then I'm probably dead," Vincent said suddenly, frowning at the screen. At once, three pairs of eyes focused on the screen, their owners all thinking the same thing: What the hell?

"I know you're probably ticked, and it's probably too late to tell you to not do anything stupid…I'm going to guess everyone made it out alright…" The red eyed gunman paused and shook his head. "I know you're wondering why I left this for you, why I know I'm going to die soon. It's because I found something, Zel. Something…Something I shouldn't have…Something I can't even write about in the Letters…It has to do with Hojo, and…if you haven't noticed, I'm not exactly _hiding_ from him. Actually, ironically enough, I'm _guarding_ him, of all things." Vincent laughed bitterly.

"Hojo is going to kill me, Zel. Because I finally found the proof I needed to condemn him…finally found enough faults and lies to put him on our hit-list and silence him for good. But…but he's not alone in this…he has Akito wrapped around his little finger, Zel…So basically, I have all the information I need to kill this guy without the order to do it."

"Do it anyway!" River screamed. Reeve jumped slightly. The picture of Vincent shook his head, almost as if he could hear River's order.

"I know this is stupid, Zel, but since I'm gone, you're the only person I can turn to. But…if your life is already in jeopardy because of the fact that your one of Shinra's Turks off a lease, then stop this transmission right now. I don't want to have your torture on my hands, Zel. As selfish as that seems, it's the truth."

Another pause. This time, Vincent stepped back and looked at the floor, the ceiling, the bed. Anything but the screen. After about five minutes, he continued.

"You are a fool, my brother. A damned fool. But…I guess that runs in our family, doesn't it? We're a family of fools. A family of lemmings. Together we'll jump off a cliff and into the churning depths below, won't we?" Vincent sighed, shaking his head. "Fine. If you want to know, here's the first of many faults."

Vincent took a deep breath, as if trying to calm himself.

"Dad was murdered, Zel."

* * *

**Killing Dr. Valentine**

Speechless, everyone watching the tape was speechless. Reeve, who had no idea who Vincent real and Zel's adoptive father was, looked hurriedly between River and Zel, who stared open mouthed at the screen.

"I have the proof right here Zel. What becomes another sin to Hojo is another nail in my own coffin." Vincent held up a disk, showing the screen. "I'm sorry you have to see this, but I'd much rather you watch it than me have to explain everything." Vincent disappeared off screen and fumbling could be heard. He then appeared on screen again.

"Once more, my apologies to Reeve Tuesti…" he said. The screen flickered, turned black, and then the lab of the Shinra Mansion appeared.

_-Start Transmission-_

"Lucrecia! All work and no breaks makes a dead scientist!" Grimore Valentine stated, walking into the room through the solid metal doors. Lucrecia looked up from where she was sitting at a very-high tech looking computer and smiled wearily at the man.

"I've almost made a break through, Dr. Valentine!" she said excitedly. Grimore smiled back at her.

"Have you now?" he asked, walking over to her. Lucrecia nodded quickly and pointed a large clear cylindrical holding container behind her. Inside, a black floating mass could be seen. It had no distinct shape, nor could it be called liquid, solid, or gas. It was, at very least, some type of plasma.

"Yes! See, I've almost brought forth some of the matter from Chaos itself!" she said. Her voice was high pitched with anticipation.

"Lucrecia, if your voice gets any higher, I won't be able to understand you," Dr. Valentine laughed, shaking his head. Lucrecia blushed and looked back at the screen. "When did you last take a break, Lucrecia?"

"Forty-eight hours ago, maybe…" Lucrecia confessed, trying to hide her face using the computer.

"Two-two days ago?! What's wrong with you?!" Grimore looked shocked. "You're more of a workaholic than my son! For Gaia's sake, woman, you need some food! And sleep! And at least a bathroom break!" He had a semi-serious, semi-joking tone when he said this.

"But I'm so close, Doctor!" Lucrecia protested. Grimore crossed his arms and glared at her. (Even if he wasn't trying to be, the glare was very menacing. It had something to do with his dull red eyes.)

"Chaos has been dormant for many millennia, Lucrecia. It can wait a few more hours!" he stated stubbornly.

"Doctor, this sounds like another one of your attempts to get me to make you lunch," Lucrecia replied slyly, smiling. Grimore burst out laughing.

"Aw, you caught me," he laughed. "But it would be better than me trying to make something and blowing up the kitchen in the process. I'm a chemist, not a cook." Lucrecia giggled, shaking her head.

"Fine, I'll make you lunch," she said, giggling.

"Make yourself food first, little lady," Grimore ordered, wagging one finger at her.

"I will, I will…right after I finish this," Lucrecia stated, turning back to the computer.

"Oh no you don't!" Grimore shouted, laughing. He grabbed the back of Lucrecia's swivel chair and proceeded to drag her out of the room, chair and all. "You're taking a break right now!"

With that, and laughing all the way, the two disappeared from the room, the large metal door sliding closed behind them.

_-Pause-_

Vincent appeared on screen for a moment.

"You saw that glass Dr. Crescent pointed to, right?" he asked. "Well, for your information, I've shot at glass like that, to test its breaking point. It took three shots from a shotgun at pointblank range to shatter it. Two created a small crack. Now, if you read the report about what supposedly killed Dad, _like I asked you to_, you'd know that it was believed that he was killed by, and I quote, 'a faulty experiment breaking free from its container and attacking Dr. Valentine.'" He paused, shaking his head. "Now, I personally find it hard to believe that an unshaped mass of goo could break the glass that two shotgun shells couldn't. Then again, it could have had help…from, let's say…This wrench!"

Vincent was now holding a pipe wrench in his hand, scowling slightly. He tapped it and shook his head.

"Look, I found the murder weapon."

_-Resume, 15 minutes later-_

The lab was empty. The goo was floating, bobbing up and down in its confinement. The computers beeped as they processed information. But other than that, nothing moved and nothing made a sound.

The doors slid open again, but who entered wasn't Dr. Valentine or Lucrecia.

Hojo walked into the lab and looked around. Satisfied when he saw no one was there, he smiled to himself and turned to face the goo.

"That woman is crazy," he told the goo, "to think that this mass of goo is supposed to be some type of super weapon. As if! And to think she calls herself a scientist!" Hojo shook his head, tapping on the glass with a thick metal object.

A _wrench_.

"But I might have a use for you yet…" he said, smiling wickedly. "A perfect way to get rid of Dr. Valentine…" He tapped the glass again. "Thank Gaia for sound proof rooms." He backed up and looked at the computer for a moment. Then he turned around and faced the tube.

And threw the wrench at the glass as hard as he could.

The metal and glass connected with a deafening crash, and the wrench clattered onto the floor. The glass was unscathed.

Hojo picked up the wrench and threw it again. Again and again, hitting the glass in about the same place every time. He kept this up for two minutes.

When he finally stopped, Hojo inspected the glass. He looked closely, finding a small crack in the glass. A small fault…small enough to be unnoticed, but it would be fatal. Hojo smiled. Yes, this would work perfectly.

With a small laugh, Hojo picked up the wrench again and walked out of the room.

_-Pause-_

"That bastard killed my father," Vincent said. "And he wonders _why_ I hate him…"

_-Resume, Two Hours Later-_

Lucrecia typed away at the computer, excited look on her face. Grimore stood behind her, shaking his head.

"Aren't you taking this a little quickly, Lucrecia?" he asked, examining the computer.

"All those years of them calling me crazy! I can finally prove them wrong!" Lucrecia said, eyes lighting up. Grimore shook his head, sighing. He turned away from her and began to examine the tube.

"Doctor, look at this!" Lucrecia called. Grimore turned to face her.

The glass cracked. It slowly grew, spreading up the length of the tube.

"Amazing…simply amazing…" Grimore said eyes as excited at Lucrecia's. Lucrecia stood up and began to examine the tube too.

Then Grimore caught sight of the crack in the glass, slowly growing.

The glass shattered.

"Look out!" he yelled, pulling Lucrecia out of the line of fire as the mass of goo took on a life of its own.

He wasn't so lucky.

-End Transmission-

"Funny thing is, Dr. Crescent always blamed his death on herself. That's why she hates me, you know," Vincent stated, dropping the wrench on the floor. He sighed. "She would blame the end of the world on herself if she could."

"The thing is, Hojo didn't just kill Dad, Zel. I'd see people come into the building, right? People came all the time, from the town, from the neighboring town, from Shinra. Most of the time, those people never left…And Dr. Crescent never learned of this…Don't ask me how he kept it all under wraps for so long…" Vincent bit his thumb.

"I think Professor Gast figured this out too…I think that's why he went 'missing'."

That was a name Reeve recognized. And, from the looks on Zel and River's faces, they recognized him too.

"I know too much, Zel. _Way_ too much. And I have too many connections…I'm a threat. I've always been one, but now someone's going to do something about it."

"Zel, I'm afraid to die."

* * *

**A Turk's Regretful Confessions **

Vincent paused on screen and turned away. He walked over to the window above the bed and tapped on the wall next to the window. It was a false wall, and it fell off to reveal a secret compartment. Vincent started to speak again.

"He doesn't just want me dead because I figured out he's a murderer, Zel. We're both murderers, you know. The whole 'honor among thieves' should hold true." Vincent laughed. "I'd commit suicide before I'd put my trust in Hojo." He pulled something out of the compartment and replaced the false wall to cover it. "You see, the real reason he wants me dead is because we're both in love with the same woman. We're both in love with Dr. Crescent."

Vincent scowled.

"Except that bastard beat me to her…Sure, I know, I shouldn't be obsessive over her and everything, but…That bastard…he _married _her, that disgusting pig. And…and he thinks it's funny to gloat about that fact. Just about drives me crazy…" Vincent hissed, voice filled with venom.

"What I don't understand is why she said yes. I mean…she obviously doesn't love him, Zel. Really…I mean, did he hold a gun to her head and force her to say yes? Was it something worse than that? Okay, so maybe I'm making things up here, but then again, maybe I'm not."

"You should have seen her at the wedding. She…she was crying the whole time, Zel. Not happy crying, seriously. It was real crying, thought she didn't seem to want anyone to notice. I did, but I wasn't supposed to be there anyway…" Vincent looked down at his hands, sighing.

"It's funny…I cried when she told me she chose Hojo over me. I just...broke down and cried. And to think, I didn't cry when Dad died, or when my mom died, back when I was six. Yet, the one girl I love turns me down and it immediately turns on the hysterics. Is that love? Because, if it is, it hurts like hell…"

Vincent finally held up what he had in his hand to the show the screen. It was two rings –_wedding rings_- on a chain.

"She told me I act like Dad, Zel," Vincent said, looking at the rings. "That I look like him…I think every time she looks at me, she sees Dad dying again. I've tried a thousand times to tell her I don't hate her, that it's not her fault. 'Why would they send his son?' she asked the first day I came. I'm still wondering the same thing myself." Vincent let the chain go; the rings clattered onto the floor.

"I was too late. But I thought she was happy, Zel. I really did…but then…then I found out what Hojo was doing to her…She allowed herself to be experimented upon, Zel! That stupid 'Jenova Project' of Hojo's! It's killing her!" Vincent's hands formed fists and his eyes seemed to glow. "And I let it happen. I let this all happen. I should have…I should have stopped her, Zel. Isn't that what you do for people you love? Protect them and keep them from doing things that put their lives in danger. Right? Why didn't I do that for her, Zel?"

Vincent shook his head again, sighing. He looked almost like he was in pain.

"I love her, Zel. I love her more than life itself. In fact, I love her more than you love River…But…that's because I can't have her, Zel. That's why I'm afraid to die…I don't want to leave her alone…alone with _him_." His shoulders were shaking, almost as if he was laughing.

The three watching knew better.

"Isn't that selfish? What a stupid reason to want to live…" Vincent laughed slightly. "I won't give up on her, Zel. I wonder if she's cried like I have, when she's alone…Probably not…she probably hates me…but…"

Vincent looked up at the screen and smiled, despite the tears falling from his eyes.

"I love you., Lucrecia Crescent. Despite the fact I am the sole reminder of your past failures, despite me being a stupid, uncivilized Turk. I love you more than anything in this world, and even though you'll never return that love, I want you to know that I'll never give up on you. When everything falls through, you'll still have me. Even in death, I'll protect you."

Vincent backed up from the screen, bending down to pick up the rings again. He stood up and nodded.

"One last thing, Zel…" he whispered. "Hold on to her…just don't give up because of a stupid fight or something. You really love her, Zel. And she loves you. Forget your past and move on. And for Gaia's sake, don't live on regretting my passing. I finally get to beat Dad in the chess match, remember?" Vincent laughed, but it only caused more tears to fall.

"Never surrender, my brother."

The screen went blank.

* * *

**All the More Reason…**

Silence filled the room again, threatening to crush its occupants. But no one had anything to say. They just stared at the blank screen and tried to form words. Finally, River said something.

"Now what? I mean, we have enough proof out of the video to put Hojo in jail for murder, right? And we could find the MIA records and link those to Vincent's explanation of Hojo killing other people for experiments…is that what we should do?" she asked.

"Maybe…I-I think I'm going to send the video about Dad's murder to Axel…" Zel murmured.

"Who's Axel?" Reeve asked quietly.

"He's a hacker I had to contact for a mission back in Turk. Every time I need something to leak out, I give it to him. He's actually employed to Lilith, but he uses a different name on the payroll. He's one of the best 'legal' hackers out there, and a good friend of mine. In fact, Lilith probably sent the security video of me yelling at Hojo in front of the Shinra building to him…" Zel explained.

"So that's how it got all over the Net," laughed River bitterly. "Thank you Axel!"

"He's an ally then?" Reeve asked.

"One of the strongest we have," Zel replied. "Which is all the more reason to contact him…Reeve, are you okay?"

Reeve continued to stare at the blank screen, eyes unmoving.

"Must more people get involved?" he asked sadly. Zel put a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"This is a burden you shouldn't have to handle alone, Reeve," he said wisely. The boy nodded and moved to disconnect Cait for the time being.

_**Do you want me to tell her, Vincent?**_

_Tell who?_ Reeve smiled slightly. It was reassuring to know Vincent was only a call away sometimes.

_**Tell Lucrecia you love her still.**_

Silence.

_**Vincent?**_

_Don't, Reeve._

_**Why not?! She deserves to know exactly how you feel about her**_

_She already knows this, Reeve! She's not stupid!_

_**Then it won't be any shock. At least let me give her the ring you bought for her. **_

_No, Reeve._

_**Why not?!**_

_Because…because I have failed…_

Reeve stopped what he was doing and stood ramrod straight, eyes wide. His face was full of shock. Never did he think that Vincent would admit to defeat. River had told him how Vincent hated to loose. And yet…

_I have failed…and now I'm alone…_

Reeve was left with those words echoing in his head.

* * *

**A/N: There you have it...What did you think? Did I make Vincent too OOC? I wouldn't know...**

**Reviews? Questions? Comments? Ideas? Flames? All are welcome! Thank you for reading. **


	15. Chapter 14: Robotics and Impossiblities

**A/N: Yay! Posted again! Alright, this chapter may be a bit far-fetched and confusing at the end, but I like it. And it's long...so it should tide you all over until I post next.**

**I'm going out of town for a few days and that means I won't be able to update for a bit. Sorry!**

**Disclamer: I do no own Final Fantasy VII, the characters, or the origonal plot. This plot, however, as well as Zel, River, and all the other OCs, are mine. And I'm proud.**

**Thank you to all my reviewers! You all rock!**

Nobody's Listening

Chapter Fourteen: Robotics and Impossibilities

**Cats Don't Talk**

"Reeve, for the fifteenth time, what are you doing?!" Zel asked, looking around the living room with shock.

Reeve had started something last night. River and Zel had fallen asleep (that was a mistake!) to the sounds of the boy rummaging through something in the "basement." Zel still regretted telling the robotics-genius where he hid all of his techno-gadgets. It was coming back to bite him in the ass now.

Whatever he had started last night, it'd eaten the living room. There were wires and tools and random circuit boards everywhere. And Reeve was in the middle of it all, a half assembled Cait Sith in his hands.

"That's not right," Reeve bit his lip, still not aware of Zel's existence.

"Reeve, what do you want for breakfast?" River called from the kitchen.

"Nothing, thank you!" Reeve called back, still focused on his project. Zel was freaked out slightly. He'd been convinced, just like everyone else, that Cait Sith was a real cat. So, seeing the robot in pieces kept reminding Zel of someone doing an animal autopsy.

"Stop ignoring me!" Zel whined.

"I'm not ignoring you, Zel; I'm just choosing not to answer you. There is a difference, even if it is a small one."

"You've taken your precious cat and smashed him to pieces on my living room floor! Can I at least be assured you're not doing something that will blow us all up?!"

"I'm not making a bomb or anything explosive, Zel," Reeve said, smiling innocently.

"Why don't I believe you?" Zel muttered, sitting on the couch to watch Reeve work. If the Tuesti boy _was_ making a bomb, he'd catch him.

Because what good Turk _doesn't_ know how to make explosives?

Plus, Zel was just amazed. Besides Axel and himself, Zel had never seen someone as tech-savvy as Reeve.

River came in a few minutes later with two cups of coffee. Well, a cup of coffee and a cup of coffee _creamer_. She handed the cream to Zel and sat down next to him, also watching Reeve with interest.

"I called your dad, Reeve," River said, taking a sip of her coffee.

"Mmhhm?"

"He said it's fine if you stay here for awhile, as long as you stay out of trouble and don't drive Zel and me up a wall."

"Cool. You don't mind?"

"Not at all, Reeve. Plus, it's probably better if we could keep you under watch anyway. The last thing we want is Hojo finding you unguarded," River stated.

"We don't want Hojo finding him at all!" Zel said.

"Right, that too."

Silence settled in and the two former Turks watched with amazed looks as the twelve year old genius sat and reassembled his cat-shaped robot.

"Zel, can you talk in a Scottish accent?" Reeve asked suddenly.

"Yeah, why?" Zel responded.

"Just wondering," Reeve replied. Zel and River exchanged a look.

Reeve had gotten almost all of Cait Sith reassembled; all he had left to do was put on the head.

"Seriously, Reeve, what are you doing?" River asked. "And what does a Scottish accent have to do with it?"

"Scottish people sound a lot more different than me and my normal accent, right?" Reeve inquired.

"Yeah, so what?" Zel said.

"So then if you hear a Scottish person speaking, you don't think of me?"

"Should we?" River asked.

"No, and that's the point."

"What's the point?" Zel asked. He was getting really confused.

"I'm giving Cait Sith a Scottish accent so he doesn't sound like me, that's all."

"Wait, you're going to make Cait _talk_?!" River asked, laughing.

"Yup."

"Reeve, cats don't talk," Zel said, smiling.

"Mine does," Reeve replied, nodding.

"Aye, laddie!" Cait Sith said. "But why did ya make meh a _Scot_? And could ya put me head back on, laddie? It is not fun walkin' around as a beheaded cat, mind ya!"

Zel fell off the couch in amazement. River's eyes were wide but she was laughing loudly. Reeve just smiled proudly as he finished putting Cait back together.

And with that, the mechanical mayhem that would one day be the spy against Team AVALANCHE was completed.

**Don't Move the Dead, It Aggravates Them**

Reeve stared at the ceiling above him. He always liked staying with River and Zel, despite them having a house in the Slums. He liked the hectic life that seemed to cling to them like superglue.

He rolled over and looked at the floor from the bed in the spare bedroom. He was really tired from pulling the all-nighter, but he didn't want to sleep. Too many things were going through his head.

_Need someone to talk to?_

_**Yeah, actually…thanks Vincent.**_

_You're welcome. _

_**Anything new happen?**_

_You're asking that question to a dead man?_

_**You never know.**_

Reeve heard Vincent's ghostly chuckle reverberate off the walls, making him smile.

_Well, in fact, something new did happen today._

_**And that was?**_

_I 'woke up' somewhere new._

_**Woke up? You sleep?**_

_No, spirits don't need to sleep. But sometimes I loose my form and therefore go into an oblivious state similar to sleeping. When I come out of those states, I call it waking up, understand?_

_**Oh, yeah, I get it. So…where were you normally waking up?**_

_The room I was given before I died. It's directly above the library/lab._

_**Okay. So where did you wake today?**_

_Surprisingly enough, Doctor Crescent's room._

_**Just call her Lucrecia, Vincent…wait…**_

_Don't call me a pervert; I have no control where I wake up, seriously._

_**But what does you waking up in Lucrecia's room mean?**_

_It means my body was moved. _

_**Do you know what is located under her room?**_

_Yes. A storage closet._

_**He's storing your body in a **_**closet**_**?!**_

_Or he's storing my bones in a closet. Some part of me is in a closet, yes. _

_**What did the closet store, did you know? Like, is it chemicals or lab coats or-**_

_Coffins._

_**Huh?!**_

_The closet was full of coffins. Honestly, that was quick…_

_**What the?**_

_His experiment, I mean. Most take a few years to fail…I guess my body wasn't experiment material. _

_**So you think he's trying to dispose of your body to hide his failure and the fact he murdered you?**_

_No, planning on giving me a nice funeral. _

_**Your sarcasm is appreciated here, Vincent.**_

_So is your naivety. _

Reeve felt the room temperature drop a few degrees. He looked over and saw the ghostly form of Vincent leaning against the wall.

_**Are you shivering?**_ Reeve thought.

_Yes. The very thought of Hojo _touching_ me while I have no control over my body is enough to make me shiver. Why?_

_**Oh.**_Reeve shivered too. That _was_ an unpleasant thought. He looked over and saw Vincent looking at his feet. _**What's wrong?**_

_Is she _that_ miserable? _

_**Lucrecia?**_

_Yes, her._

_**What do you mean?**_

_You found the will, didn't you? _

_**Um, yeah…**_

_So you know my mistake. _

_**You only did what you thought was right, Vincent! It's not your fault!**_

_I thought she was happy…_

_**And she convinced you that she was!**_

_But she _wasn't_ Reeve, she…oh, you wouldn't understand. You're a kid. _

_**So?**_

_So I have problems I can't talk to you about _because_ you are a kid._

_**Oh, whatever. She doesn't blame you for what happened, you know.**_

_Oh, I know. She blames herself. She tried to commit suicide this morning._

_**Huh?!**_

_Yeah, slit her wrists, right? The most amazing thing happened too…_

_**She's not dead is she?!**_

_No, actually, there's hardly a scratch on her._

_**What? How?**_

_That "Jenova" thing- the thing Hojo injected into her-it healed her wounds immediately. _

_**Th-that's amazing!**_

_Not quiet…It started talking._

_**Jenova?!**_

_Yeah. It was talking to her…_Taunting _her, in fact._

_**And you could hear it?**_

Ghost Vincent nodded. Reeve noticed he looked slightly disgusted.

_Yes, don't ask me how. I couldn't understand what it was saying, though. And then she saw me._

_**I thought she wasn't allowed to see you? Isn't that a Law of Apperation or something?**_

_How did you know? _

_**Galian told me.**_

_Who?_

_**Nobody.**_

Vincent smirked and shook his head, crossing his arms. He glared at Reeve. Reeve shuddered under the burning gaze and tried to look elsewhere.

_Reeve._

_**He's someone I made up. An illusion, nothing else.**_

_I don't believe you._

_**Why not?**_

_My father mentioned a "Galian" before._

_**Your father?**_

_Yes, the Scientist killed by that thing called "Chaos." Remember?_

_**Yeah, I do, but…how would he know Galian?**_

_He said this "Galian" was some thing called a "guardian" and lived in the Lifestream. Something from mythology, I suspect. _

_**Oh, I see…**_

_But I don't. You've talked to him, correct._

_**I must have made it up.**_

_You're lying._

**You**_** have no proof of whether I am lying or not.**_ Vincent rolled his eyes.

_Fine. See you later._

_**What? Why are you leaving?**_

_I'm being moved again…_With that, Vincent was gone.

**Hide and Go Seek**

Lucrecia stared at the door she'd never before noticed. The door that was made of solid metal, slightly open, and that Hojo had just walked out of, cursing.

"How long has this been here?" she asked no one.

_A long time. You're just stupid and oblivious. _No one responded, curtly, as always.

Lucrecia ignored the voice. She'd been doing that ever since Reeve had left, three days ago. Now, instead of referring to it by its name, she called the voice "no one" and didn't respond to it when it talked to her.

Like now.

She took a step forward, looking around to make sure Hojo was gone. He was. She took another step towards the door.

_Stop._

Lucrecia was at the door now.

_Stop, woman!_

She opened the door and stepped inside the small, dimly lit room.

A room full of coffins.

_Turn back, you stupid human! You should NOT be here!_

"Oh, shut up."

_What?!_

"I said shut up. Save your breath, I'm not going to listen to you anymore," Lucrecia said, smiling.

_Wipe that smile off your face, human! Why I should…_But Lucrecia just ignored the voice, looking around the room. Something had caught her attention. Well, _someone_, to be precise.

"Vincent?" Lucrecia whispered. She inched forward; looking at the body slumped in front of one of the coffins, as if someone had just dumped him there. His head was lolling to one side, and legs were folded under him, as if he'd tried to stand up and gotten nowhere doing so. When she said his name, his head moved slightly.

No wait, that's just the flickering of the lights.

Lucrecia stood in front of her lover now, tears making their path down her cheeks.

"I found you," she said, kneeling down to look at him closely. Something wasn't right. His skin wasn't yellowing, nor did any of part of him look bloated from death. His lips still retained their color and his limbs weren't stiff, as if they'd never gone through _rigor mortis_. Lucrecia reached out and put a hand on his cheek, expecting to feel cold, marble like skin.

She pulled her hand back in surprise. His cheek was warm? How…that wasn't possible. He should be as cold as ice! As cold as death!

Death…

He wasn't dead…

"That's it, this is a dream! I'm dreaming!" Lucrecia said, backing up. She really didn't want it to be a dream. "So, when I wake up, I'm checking the room I'd never noticed before, that's it. This is a dream…wake up wake up wake up!" She closed her eyes and shook her head violently. She pinched herself. Then she opened her eyes again.

Nothing had changed.

"Okay, so maybe I'm _not_ dreaming…" she stepped forward and bent down to look at Vincent again. "But...how is it that you're seemingly _alive_ but you're not _breathing_?" Her hands slipped down to his chest, over his heart, where he'd been shot.

There was no wound.

"Oh my...H-how is this possible?!"

_Your mate did something to him._

Lucrecia shot up, surprised by the voice.

"Hojo is _not_ my 'mate.'"

_You _married_ and had _sex_ with him. He's your mate, human. And he messed with that nuisance. Good riddance, I say. _

"Vincent is not a nuisance! And what did Hojo do to him?!"

_If I knew, why would I tell you? _

"Go to Hell."

_You will go before me._ That's when Lucrecia started ignoring Jenova again.

What kind of experiments did Hojo put Vincent through? Lucrecia couldn't even begin to guess.

And, thought Lucrecia didn't want to admit it, she was about to use Vincent as another "experiment," despite the fact it was to save his life.

"Please forgive me, Vincent…" she whispered; kissing his cheek as another tear fell down her face. "This is the only way I know how to save you…" She stood up and turned away, trying to decide how to move him without attracting too much attention. She could use the old lab…the one that no one had used since her last failure… Yes! Despite it's past, that lab would be perfect! Hojo wouldn't know what she was doing! Could she carry him or would she need assistance? How heavy was he anyway? He was really thin, but she knew there was a great deal of muscle on his slim frame. And he was tall…_really_ tall…

Lucrecia abruptly felt something grab her arm and tug gently. Eyes widening, she turned around and held back a scream.

Vincent's eyes, which had been _closed_ before, were open and staring right at her. He blinked -_blinked- _quickly, as if to regain focus in his eyes, and tugged on her arm again. Lucrecia didn't know what to do. She just stared back at him. Vincent frowned and turned her arm over, so her wrist was facing up.

His eyes widened when he saw the scars. He shakily brought his other hand up and ran his fingers gently over the scars, eyes softening. He pulled her forward gently and pressed his lips to the wounded flesh, sending shivers down Lucrecia's spine.

"St-op…" he struggled to even whisper against her skin. "St-op…hurting…your…self…"

Lucrecia could say nothing. Vincent looked up at her.

"Pl…ease." She could only nod, but he seemed to think that was fine. He struggled to smile, but he couldn't.

As soon as it had begun, it was over. Vincent's hands dropped from hers and he slumped back against the coffin, "dead" once more.

It was then that Lucrecia didn't care if she was going crazy. She didn't care about the stupid Jenova project anymore. She didn't care if she was dreaming right now. She didn't even care that she knew she wasn't strong enough to carry Vincent to the old lab.

She was going to save his life, even if it killed her.

**Traitor Guardian**

As Lucrecia struggled to take Vincent out of the room of coffins, she didn't notice she was being watched by two pairs of eyes. She didn't notice that the eyes belonged to a pair of out of place lizards. She didn't even see the lizards scamper away, though a _nonexistent_ hole in the wall.

"BROTHER! What do we do?!" the first lizard shouted. Well, it wasn't a lizard at all, but a _demon_. The lizard shifted into a monster that looked, to say the least, like Frankenstein. The lizard he was calling his "brother" shifted as well, into a tall, Terrain-looking male figure wearing a mask. The mask-wearing demon set his weapon, something the Terrains called a "chainsaw," against a tree.

"I do not know, Gigas."

"Helin! The Valentine was _dead_. He was DEAD! But then…then he wasn't! How was he dead and not dead?!" the Frankenstein, Gigas, asked. Helin, the mask wearing demon, sighed.

"I know no, Gigas. We must alert Lord Chaos. He will _not_ be pleased."

"Not be pleased? NOT BE PLEASED?! He will banish us for sure!"

"I do not fear banishment," Helin said. "I fear the _torture_ that comes _before_ the banishment!"

"What do we do oh WHAT DO WE DO?! We are soldiers, not tacticians! This was _not_ supposed to happen!" Gigas howled.

"Quiet, Gigas! You will alert the Terrains!" Helin whispered, looking around him worriedly.

"Let those filthy water-sacks here us! This is _their _fault anyway! If that stupid Terrain woman hadn't been in the room, we could have killed him, brother!"

"I know, I KNOW!" Helin said, covering his ears.

A tree limb snapped. The two demons jumped together, looking around them.

"Hellmasker, Death Gigas!" a voice called.

"SER GALIAN!" Gigas screamed. "A friendly voice, a trusted alley!" Galian Beast stepped into the clearing, much to the delight of the two demons waiting.

"Ser Galian, with all respect, would you _not_ call us by the name the filthy Terrains name us? My name is Helin, and my brother's is Gigas."

"Of course Helin, forgive my lapse of memory," Galian said. Helin bowed, nodding.

"Yes, Milord."

"Ser Galian, you'll never guess the ill luck that is upon us! The last Valentine lives still! He is the embodiment of a Terrain cockroach!" Gigas moaned.

"Is he?" Galian asked, uninterested. Gigas didn't seem to notice, but Helin looked skeptically at the Beast. How was it that one of the very Guardians seemed apathetic to such a grave mater?

"Yes! He was _dead,_ Ser Galian! But then this Terrain woman entered the room and suddenly-bam! - He was living again! DESPITE THE FACT HE HAS NO HEART!" Gigas continued.

"Physically, my brother means, Ser," Helin added.

"Amazing," Galian replied. "Such is the way of a Terrain's will, it seems."

"Amazing? AMAZING?! SER?! Lord Chaos will kill us for sure! What will we do, Ser Galian?!" Gigas asked. Helin squinted at the Beast. Something was wrong.

"Nothing."

Helin and Gigas took two steps back from Galian.

"What?" Galian asked the brothers. They stared back at him.

"You wish for us to do…_nothing_ about this? Nothing about the _last_ living Valentine?!  
Helin roared. "Are you mad, Galian?!"

"No, I am quite sane. In fact, I'm overjoyed!" Galian replied. "There is some hope for us after all."

"Ser Galian, you have lost your mind! We must find it, and quickly!" Gigas screeched. "You can not think that the continued existence of such a pesky Terrain is a _good_ thing!"

"Why can I not?" Galian asked. The brothers took two more steps back.

"Who are you and where is Ser Galian?!" Gigas asked.

"I am Galian of the Northern Mountains, and I have gone nowhere."

"You cannot be!" Gigas said.

"But I am."

"Have you turned, Ser?" Helin asked, shocked. As if to answer, Galian held out his hand, allowing the Protomateria to appear. Another two steps back.

"Traitor!" Gigas howled. "Helin, we must tell Lord Chaos!" Gigas did not wait for his brother's reply. He turned and began to bolt from the forest.

That was his mistake.

"Relinquish!" Galian shouted, holding the Protomateria in front of his face. In an instant, Gigas disappeared into a ball of purple light and was sucked into the sphere.

Helin was speechless and glued to the spot.

"Do not try to run, and do not fear. You will be with your brother soon, Helin," Galian said, smiling.

"Why….?"

"I'm sorry, but Chaos must not know of my plans until he cannot stop them, Helin. You must understand. As you know, there are many sacrifices in the game of chess."

"Your work will allow the Dirge to rise!" Helin cried.

"I know. That is what I am trying to do."

"Why?! You allow the creation of the one thing that will destroy us!"

"The Terrains must be saved. We demons can fend for ourselves, the Terrains cannot. They need a catalyst, a _savior_, if you will. Soon, they will need more than one. I am just trying to assist the Terrains' savior, Helin. You must understand."

"I do not, Ser Galian! The Dirge is no savior! He will stop Noble Omega's ascension! Who does that save?!"

"Everyone, no one. It depends on how everything plays out."

"You make no sense."

"I need not to," Galian replied.

"You traitor! You fight for the Terrains!"

"Yes, and I am not ashamed."

"So…that means…the Protomateria….you deem to give it to the Valentine!" Helin shouted.

"Indeed. Yell louder, maybe Sister Leviathan will hear you in Wutai."

"That means that you submitted my brother to the control of a Terrain!"

"And you will follow. And then soon too will Chaos."

"No…you give our own Lord to such a filthy bag of flesh?!"

"You make it sound like a punishment."

"It is! Such a disgrace!"

"Oh Helin, you understand so little…" Galian shook his head. "Please accept my apology, but it seems that you will never understand."

"Understand?! I understand completely! You should be sent into exile or killed!" Helin spat.

"I will be sent into exile. Thirty Terrain years, give or take."

"What?"

"I will follow after Chaos. The four of us will be trapped together."

"I do not wish to be tortured by the presence of a Terrain _and_ a Traitor! You are a _Guardian_, Galian! I had such respect for you!"

"It is a shame to see you loose that respect because of your stubbornness, Helin."

"I am not stubborn, I am loyal!"

"Foolish loyalty," Galian said, lifting the Protomateria again. "Forgive me, Helin."

"I despise you."

"Relinquish!" Helin disappeared into the Protomateria, leaving the forest oddly quiet. Galian sighed and slumped against the nearest tree, staring off at the lights of the Shinra Mansion.

"Forgive me, Ser Valentine…I have just made your thirty-year sleep living Hell…"

* * *

**A/N: I always liked Galian...Comments? Questions? Ideas? Reviews? Flames? I'm all ears. :-) **

**Thank you for reading.**


	16. Chapter 15: First Purge, Solo Arist

**A/N: Okay, so this chapter, and all the chapters that have the title "The Purges" in the chapter title have character deaths in them. Just so you know. **

**This is kind of a grim chapter...**

**Sorry if I scar anyone for life with these chapters...They'll be spread out, don't worry. If you can't bear it, skip these chapters. All you need to know is someone dies in the chapter. In the next author note, I'll say who it was.**

**Same discalmers as always.**

Nobody's Listening

The Purges

Chapter Fifteen: First Purge: Solo Artist

_Purge: 1. to get rid of opponents; 2. to remove something undesirable; 3. to free somebody from guilt or sin_.

**Painting with Crimson**

He stared at his bloody wrists. Not a pretty sight to wake up and see.

He wasn't supposed to wake up.

His precious lifeblood dripped onto the floor, impossible to stop. The blood was splashed around the room, mixing with broken glass and furniture. The apartment was a mess. He struggled to stand up, already weak from the loss of blood. He held back a chocked sob.

Of all things, bleeding to death…of all the ways to…

He looked out the broken window, seeing the rain falling from the Upper Plate. It must have been a heavy storm up there…How did the window break?

He knew he didn't have much time left now. He pulled his cell phone from his pocket and looked at the text message he was trying to send before he'd…blacked out? Passed out? Was _knocked_ out? It wasn't finished.

He pressed send and let the phone drop from his hand, landing in a pool of crimson. He smiled down at it.

"I am dead…" he whispered. "But…the dead…can still….talk…"

White walls…When he'd first moved in, he'd hated those white walls. Now…now those pristine white walls made the perfect template.

"I could have been an artist," he whispered, smiling. His vision was starting to go now, but that didn't mater. He knew what to do.

He swiped his finger across his bloody wrist and, using the crimson liquid as paint, began to write.

* * *

**Hackers Know Everything**

Axel Takashi stared blankly at the screen in front of him. Having been a hacker since the morning of his thirteenth birthday, he'd seen everything there was to see, heard everything there was to hear, knew _everything_ there was to know.

Except this… _this_ was new.

Axel pushed some of his bright red hair out of his face, cursing its rebellion against being tamed. He'd tried cutting it (it grew back in days, sometimes over night), using gel (that made it worse), putting it all under a hat (ha, as if), and even let his wife Amy mess with it (she got frustrated and left for a few hours). It was long enough to get in his eyes and spike out in all different directions…and to drive him nuts.

He paused and re-wound the video on his screen, the one he'd just hacked from four different news stations.

"I'll be damned…" he said, aquamarine-eyes widening. "Son of a bitch I'll be damned!" He continued to curse enough to make the Highwinds proud, instantly pulling out his cell phone. "Thank you, Turk Valentine, for giving me this damned thing!" he said, adding quickly, "Rest in Peace," under his breath. He looked at his inbox, and, seeing nothing, proceeded to type a message to "Princess" Lilith.

"She better already know about this…" he muttered. "She won't be in a good mood…better tell Elda too. Too bad Pops don't know the Code…But, with the Walk Out and all…maybe it's for the best…" He sent off the message and put the phone back in his pocket, pressing play on his keyboard again to watch the video once more.

"Who is it?" he scowled as the video ended. "Which one is…?"

The door opened behind him. Axel stopped talking to listen. The foot falls were too heavy to be Amy's, so he couldn't guess who it was. He looked at the reflection of the man that shone on of the turned off computer monitors.

The man wasn't that tall, but he was thin-bean poll thin- and his clothes looked slightly too big for him. Baggy, slightly torn jeans, scuffed black boots, faded black tee-shirt under a camouflage jacket, discolored beige-looking hat pulled low, covering the man's eyes but allowing a few strands of his semi-long blonde hair to show…hands in pockets, beige messenger bag over the shoulder.

"No Dogs allowed," Axel said, not turning to look at the man.

"Thought Amy liked Terriers." Axel whipped around, shocked smile on his face.

"Zel! Damn, I didn't recognize you without your Devil-suit!" Zel pulled off his hat and bowed, laughing slightly.

"I scared Amy too, actually. Slums are wearing off on me again, I think," Zel said, sitting down on the only available space not occupied by a computer, radio, books, or some other type of techno-gadget or instruction manual.

Axel just stared at Zel. No, his clothes weren't the reason Amy had been scared by his sudden appearance. Axel knew that much…because, in all honesty, he too was shocked to see Zel…

Alive, that is.

"What?" Zel asked, staring at Axel. Axel, without thinking, reached out and poked Zel in the arm. "Hey! What's that for?"

"Still solid."

"Huh?" Zel raised on eyebrow.

"Still solid, meaning you're still alive…I thought…" Axel trailed off.

"Thought? Thought what?"

"Amy and I thought you were…well, we thought you were… _dead_, Zel."

"Dead? Why would I be dead? I already told you, I'm done with attempting suicide…After Vincent's death, I promised I'd never do it again. Didn't I tell you this?" Zel asked, shaking his head.

"You don't watch the news, do you Zel?" Axel asked, gesturing towards the screen of his computer.

"What's that got to do with anything? And River doesn't have a TV, so…no, I haven't seen the news in awhile."

"That…_that_ has EVERYTHING to do with this, Zel!" Axel scolded, hitting Zel in the forehead with his palm (coulda had a V8! XD!). "You're slacking as a hacker, Twitchy!" Zel rubbed his forehead and glared at Axel.

"So I'm outa touch with the world, whatever."

"No, Zel. This is bad…just….just watch," Axel resumed the video on the screen.

"_This is Lenora Hardy reporting live from the investigation of the death reported this morning at the apartment complex in the Sector Six Slums…"_ Zel's eyes widened. He used to live in those apartments… (They must have rebuilt part of them…) But he'd given the apartment to…

"_Early this morning, a body of what seems to be one of the Turks involved in the Shinra 'Walk Out' scandal was found in apartment number 117. _On the screen there was a view of the apartment being evacuated and paramedics walking out with a body on a stretcher. It was covered with a white sheet but one arm hung out from under it, showing the tell-tale blue suit and dried blood on the fingers and wrist. _"The cause of death was proclaimed suicide, but signs of forced entry and a struggle are apparent throughout the apartment. Upon further investigation, crime scene investigators found a cryptic message written in blood on the dead Turk's walls. Detective Jonas Leporman joins us now with his verdict. Detective, what do you conclude?" _The detective appeared on screen and stood next to the news reporter.

Axel stole a glance at Zel, who stared motionless at the screen. He didn't even blink.

"_Well," the detective answered, "suicide is the obvious cause of death. The wrists were slit to the arteries and the man bled to death in a mater of minutes, it seems."_

"_What about the broken glass and gunshot holes that littered the apartment, Detective?"_

"_A dozen beer bottles were found empty in the apartment. I can only conclude that the Turk, drunk, began to shoot at random articles of furniture in his home before lapsing into depression and killing himself. It might have been something related to suffering from withdraw."_

"_Withdraw, Detective?" _

"_Yes. We all know the Turks line of business. This man could have been driven by bloodlust, and, without something or someone to release this urge, he settled for himself. Unfortunately, that choice was lethal." _

"_What of the writing on the walls?" the newswoman questioned. _

"_I am not allowed to speak totally of the writing, as disturbing as it was. All I can say is that he left a clue to his identity, though it only confused us more."_

"_What was that?"_

"_The end of the writing said 'Signed, Tero. P.S. They will understand,'" the Detective answered._

"_They?" _

"_We assumed that 'they' meant the other Turks. He might have killed himself as a trigger for the others to follow suite. We cannot know for sure without asking one of them." _Axel stopped the video here.

"They're killing us…" Zel whispered.

"They said it was a suicide," Axel replied, looking at Zel.

"Suicide my ass!" Zel shouted, punching the wall.

"Why? Which one was Tero? I thought that was you."

"Twitch. That's my name…Tero is short for Pterodactyl."

Axel thought for a moment. Pterodactyl…so it was a gunner…not Vincent, he was already dead...but maybe someone who shadowed Vincent…

"Zel, I'm drawing a blank." Axel looked to Zel, who was already alerting the other Turks via the Code.

"They're killing us," Zel repeated, his eyes moistened with tears. Axel was shocked; he'd never seen a Turk cry. "And they've started with Petri."

* * *

**Turks Are Human**

They've killed Pterodactyl. Run, if you can. Hide if you can. The end is coming for us, don't walk the streets alone. Why him? It makes no sense. The Witch Hunt begins… Never surrender – Twitch

(Text message sent out to the Turks from Zel Strife, location Unknown.)

Legion and Rachel were the first two to get the text. Rachel turned on the hysterics and Legion cursed loudly. They were the two in charge of Petri, code named "Pterodactyl." The man had left last night, saying he needed to gather something from his old apartment and that he'd be right back. Rachel blamed herself for letting Petri go alone, Legion couldn't think straight and could only hold his partner and prevent her from hurting herself.

Kilick and Lin were next. Without thinking, they packed up everything they owned, Lin burdened their home to the ground and they fled. Halfway across the Wastelands, Kilick stopped and prayed to Leviathan for Petri's soul, and he and Lin made a small grave for the fallen Turk before disappearing into the night.

David and Kyra locked the doors around them and abandoned their house, entering the abandoned underground tunnels under their house to hide. David set up his computers and Kyra plugged in to the back up generators they had stored for just this occasion. They created a bunker under their home and prepared to wait out the storm…if it was possible.

Rito and Tori fled through the sewers, and met up with David and Kyra in their bunker. The Twins were worried that they weren't strong enough alone. Their friends welcomed them with open arms and Rito collapsed into an exhausted heap while Tori texted Zel and River to make sure they were okay.

River received Zel's and Tori's messages about the same time and collapsed on the floor of her apartment. Reeve and Cait Sith struggled to comfort her. She whispered over and over "hunting witches, we're all dead."

Riley Finelli (former Turk) and her husband, Aaron Finelli (weapons shop owner of Sector Two) closed the shop early and huddled in the back room of the shop, waiting in the dark. Riley suggested moving, but Aaron couldn't. Aaron suggested that Riley move without him and Riley slapped him. They were going to stay, together. Aaron opened the shop again and pretended nothing happened. Riley hid in their sleeping quarters above and texted her friends for help.

Ex-Scientist Fameos Brandel and his brother Sakito (formally known as "Wolf") began stockpiling weapons. Fameos knew he was in trouble, being too good of friends with the Turks in question. He began to plan a rescue of Lilith and then an escape to somewhere in the middle of nowhere. Icicle Inn or Bone Village perhaps…

Verdot, Freya, and Lilith stood together in Lilith's office. Lilith stared blankly out the window, at the overcast sky that darkened the mood. Freya sobbed into her hands, whispering over and over about how there "was something they should have done." Verdot stared at his lap top, silent.

And, above everyone else, Akito Shinra and Professor Hojo stood with a group of soldiers. Shinra smiled, staring down at the people passing his building. Hojo spoke with the soldiers, clarifying the specs of their last mission, which was a success. "Take this as warning, _Turks_, Rebels!" Shinra laughed. "The Purges have begun."

All the Turks and those who knew them knew that Petri's death wasn't a suicide.

They all knew who was fueling this Witch Hunt.

They all wondered who was next.

* * *

**Homicidal Suicide**

Axel and Zel walked in step, hurrying to Sector Six. Zel's relationship with Miss Helen, his old landlord, was that of a "Mother-Son" type connection and Axel believed that would get them into Zel's old apartment and seeing the state of the place.

And, if worst came to worst, they'd just break in.

Axel looked at Zel through the corner of his eye. Yes, he didn't look at all like the former Turk he used to be. He blended in with the drab and dreary Slums easily. Axel began to think that, if they got caught, it would be because of his bright red hair and no the fault of Zel.

Helen was waiting for them. She tossed them a key and rand back to her room, not exchanging a word.

This was for the best.

They proceeded to the apartment and were shocked at what they saw.

Saying a tornado ripped through the place would be an understatement. Nothing was intact. There were holes in the walls and blood all over the floor and walls. All the windows were broken and Petri's belongings were in disarray. His cell phone was off and sitting in a pool of blood, dried to the floor. It was obvious where the paramedics had found him, for there was a pool-no, a lake-of blood underneath one of the walls and a rough outline of his head from blood splatters

How could this be called a suicide?

But neither Axel nor Zel noticed this. They were transfixed by the wall and the writing on it.

"_I am a solo artist, dying alone. With my blood I curse my murders, I curse my victims, and I curse my _killers_. Homicidal suicidal left alone to die…remember my words, you who found me dead. Know this, for it is true. _

_The Dirge Will Walk Again. _

_Sighed Tero_

_P.S. They will understand."_

"'The Dirge will walk again?'" Axel whispered. He took pictures of the room, the phone, and six of the one wall, making sure Petri's last words was readable. Zel stood motionless, staring at the wall with hopelessness in his eyes. "Does he mean Vincent's alive?"

"No…I-I don't know what he meant, Axel," Zel said, looking around him. He pried Petri's phone from the ground and turning it on. He expected to see nothing.

He was wrong.

_One New Record_

Zel opened the recording and placed the bloody phone to his ear. In an instant, he heard Petri's panicked voice.

"I was marked. Somehow, I was. I had to leave Rome and Carthage behind; I didn't want to see either of them burn down because of me. I knew I couldn't hide here, they found me. Shinra's sent his drones. I'm going to die. But I found something out. Someone tell Twitch! I know where the Dirge is! He might be…" A gunshot ended the recording.

Axel looked at Zel.

"Rome and Carthage?"

"Legion and Rachel," Zel looked around him. He quickly sent himself the recording from Petri's phone. "This was a homicide, Axel." And then he smashed the phone.

"No shit, Sherlock! And that was evidence!" Axel screeched.

"Idiot, I have the recording right here! Now, let's go!" Zel suddenly had a feeling that he was being watched. Running to one of the broken windows, he motioned for Axel to follow and jumped.

It was only three stories, nothing major.

* * *

**Idols and Ascensions **

Petri watched as Zel jumped out the window. His red haired friend, whom Petri assumed (correctly) was the famed hacker Axel Takashi, looked skeptically out the window at the jump before following the blonde.

He chuckled lightly. It was nice that Zel came to actually check on the reports of a suicide. He knew someone wouldn't believe it.

Petri suddenly felt a strange presence next to him. He turned around, unafraid (he was already dead, what _more_ could happen?). Never the less, who he saw shocked him.

"Dirge! I mean, uh, Mr. Valentine!" Petri yelped. Vincent- in all his ghostly glory- smiled sadly at him.

"Drop the formalities, Petri. We're both dead; doesn't that put us on a first name basis?"

"Sure…M-er, Vincent," Petri said, embarrassed. "Um, why are you here?" Petri didn't want to admit it, but he was both overjoyed and saddened by his superior's appearance.

"Why did you run?" Vincent asked.

"You didn't answer…oh, never mind…" Petri sighed. "I just didn't want to see Rachel or Legion die, okay…so I thought it would be better if I died and warned them all instead."

"You thought that would be _better_?" Vincent asked, turning away and examining the wall.

"Well…yea. I mean, I'm just the new guy…No one will miss me, right?"

"I beg to differ. Rachel cried herself into fainting, just so you know. The others are just now in their various states of grieving."

"What?"

"We Turks were a family, if you remember correctly."

"Yeah, I know. Freya was Elda, or Mom, and Verdot was Pops, and then the rest of us were all the brothers and sisters," Petri said, scratching the back of his head.

"How would it feel to lose _another_ brother, Petri?"

Petri wished he could turn into a cockroach. He was embarrassed. After all, he'd thought he was something right for a change.

"Wait…you know my name?"

"Yes. Shouldn't I know the real name of one of my brothers? Plus, I had high hopes for you, kid," Vincent sighed.

"Sorry then…Guess I screwed that up for you."

"Not at all…Self-sacrifice is the highest level of selflessness there is, Petri. And I only hopped you'd never be infected with the selfish desires Akito had for the Turks. It's an honor to talk to you, Petri."

Petri flushed slightly. To think, his idol was saying it was an honor to talk to _him_, Petri the Nobody!

"T-thank you…" Petri said, smiling.

"What did you mean by that, though?" Vincent said, smiling and pointing at the wall.

"I thought you were alive…" he replied, looking at his feet.

"High hopes, Petri. Sorry to disappoint you."

"No, it's okay! I mean, it's not your fault!" Petri assured.

"You're not going to stay here, are you Petri?" Vincent asked, gesturing around him. Petri knew that Vincent meant stay on the Planet, not stay in the room.

"Well, I'd like to leave and all, but…I just can't, ya know? Wait, of course you know, you're standing here with me…but I mean, I just…something is keeping me here."

Vincent nodded and sighed, finally walking over and placing his hand on Petri's head.

"Go on. You're forgiven." Petri's eyes lit up.

"Wha…?"

"It's the past, Petri. You don't need to worry about it. The chains of the sin in your life are gone now. Let them go, and go on. I bet your parents are waiting for you."

Petri looked down and saw that he was starting to turn into little green lights. He was ascending.

"Thank you!" Petri said, shaking Vincent's hand enthusiastically. "Thank you for being my idol and giving me a reason to live and everything you've done!" Vincent looked shocked as Petri looked him in the eyes. "I'll save you a spot, 'kay? You're not going to stay here forever, right?"

Vincent shrugged.

"I don't know…I guess I'm just…not ready to go yet. Maybe I'll try that whole 'zombie-rise-from-the-dead' thing." It was a bad attempt at a joke, but Petri laughed.

"Have fun then, Dirge! See you in the Lifestream!"

"Say hi to my dad for me, would ya?" Vincent called. Petri nodded.

And then he was gone.

* * *

**A/N: I already miss Petri...**

**I've noticed I can't post the 'Dirge Code" in this...darn it!**


	17. Chapter 16: Through the Eyes of a Demon

**A/N: I'm sorry it took me so long! Right, the person who died in the last chapter was Petri...I miss him already! -sobs-**

**This is an extra long chapter, I hope you enjoy. It's all in the view of Galain, FYI. **

**JUST TO WARN YOU!**

**The end of this is very disturbing. You've been warned. **

**ENJOY! SAME DISCLAMERS APPLY! **

**THANK YOU FOR SUPPORTING ME! **

* * *

Nobody's Listening

Chapter Sixteen: Through the Eyes of a Demon

**Terrains Are Interesting Creatures **

He stood behind her, unseen, as she typed quickly. Thirty six hours, thirty four minutes, and ten…eleven seconds since her last break. If stress, fatigue, or hunger were causing any affect, she didn't show it. The only things she repeatedly did were look over her shoulder at the man-the _Valentine_- in the containment unit, and at the door.

She repeatedly looked at the door.

But the Terrain she was expecting to come through the door never did.

_But then again, I might have something to do with that…_Galain thought, smiling. _Maybe I hid the room from him a little _too_ well…No matter…_

He backed away from the Terrain Lucrecia and her screen of scientific propaganda and turned to face him.

"Ser Valentine," he said, knowing no one could hear him. "Pardon my Wutianese, but you look like shit." He chuckled darkly. "Your heart is gone, your soul is shattered, and your skin is rotting off your bones. To make matters worse, you remain connected to this world, to life itself. But only to suffer, for, one by one, your friends are going to die. I wish you'd take my advice and just return to the Lifestream…but you cannot hear me at all, can you? No, not now…but soon…"

"Yes, oh so soon you'll be locked away inside the maniac mind of a Terrain. You should be so proud." A cold chill had settled on the room. Galain sighed, seeing Shiva's reflection in the glass of Ser Valentine's containment unit. She smirked as he turned around.

"I am, Shiva. And you used to be. Why the sudden change of heart?"

"I suddenly decided what your doing is stupid and will get you killed, at _least_."

"Well, that's good for me. I do not fear death at all."

"When Chaos finds out what you have planned with his Protomateria, you'll be wishing for death," Shiva muttered, jumping down from the top of the computer and landing next to the unaware Lucrecia. She looked at the scientist with disgust. "Honestly, what do they see in this Terrain? She's got 'SLUT' written on her forehead."

"Really?" Galain muttered, walking over to stand next to her. "It takes one to know one, doesn't it?"

"What was that?" Shiva asked, blinking. "Speak clearly, would you?"

"I said, I see the word 'Victim.'"

"Huh," Shiva rolled her eyes. "Great, you too. Just like everyone else, you've fallen for the Siren of the Terrains, Doctor _Lucrecia Crescent_. Or should I call her 'the Beauty of the Moon,' as her namesake means?"

"Do I detect envy in your voice, Shiva? No, that is not possible, is it. Forgive me, I must be hearing things." Shiva scoffed and glared at him, but he just shrugged and continued. "No, I have not fallen for her, Shiva, just as I have not fallen for anything _ever_. And, as you should very well know, I detest Terrains that use their own bodies to try and defy the laws of nature. She has received her punishment, and the creepy Terrain will receive his as well, in time. No, I am only interested in Ser Valentine's relationship with her, not in starting my own."

"My my, Noble Galain of the Northern Mountains can _hate_. None the less, we've gotten off track from my original aim of this conversation," Shiva paused. "What is it you plan to do with Lord Chaos's Protomateria?"

"Why should I tell you, if you no longer support my aims?" Galain questioned, tapping his chin thoughtfully.

"Because, genius, your plan will no longer work!" Shiva exclaimed. "Giving the Protomateria to Valentine now will do nothing! He's _dead_, if you haven't noticed. He can't use the materia, and Chaos will come and just take it back. All this work you've-_we've_- done will be for not!"

"Well, it's a good thing that was never my plan in the first place. Because, just as you say, it would have been a sure-fire fail," Galain said proudly. Shiva glared at him.

"What?"

"I'm not giving the Protomateria to Ser Valentine."

"Go on."

"I'm inserting it in place of his heart."

"YOU'RE DOING WHAT?!" Galain nearly jumped out of his skin. Surely she couldn't be this surprised? Galain swore he'd told the Guardians of his true plan, the one that required Ser Valentine being shot…Oh, maybe that was _only_ Number XIII and Dao Cho…

"I believe you heard me."

"You idiot! Valentine will be ripped to shreds from the inside out!"

"And so I will be there to hold him together. Plus, Helin and Gigas will be there to assist."

"Oh, so that's what happened to th-….GALAIN, YOU FUCKING IDIOT!" Shiva shouted. Galain winced and Lucrecia looked up quickly.

"Who's there?" she said, looking around. Galain held his paw over Shiva's mouth tightly, preventing the ice goddess from answering. "Great, I'm dreaming up _more_ voices…" She went back to her work.

"It will _never_ work," Shiva hissed.

"But it must. The fate of the _Planet_ depends on it."

"What a lie! No Terrain controls the fate of this Planet."

"No Terrain but the Dirge himself."

"You're a fool Galain. A damned fool. I came here to save you, but you insist on damnation at the hands of Lord Chaos himself. He's coming, you know. He'll be here in less than a week."

"Let him come, the time is right."

Shiva turned away, anger evident in her eyes.

"I will not mourn you," she hissed. "You brought your death upon yourself. You will die incased in this pitiful mortal."

"I will not die." Shiva disappeared, leaving the ice-y atmosphere behind her. "I will not die…" Galain repeated, looking at Lucrecia. "But I can lie, oh how easily it is to lie…" He smiled at Lucrecia. "I wish I were Terrain, Lucrecia. We could be friends. No more, of course. For you are Ser Valentine's perfect match, so to speak. But do not worry, I do not detest you. No, you were most cruelly tricked into your fate. Now, let's not send yourself to an early grave." He moved forward and placed a paw on her head gently, speaking softly. "You are tired, Lucrecia. Go to your room and lock your door. Sleep a full nights rest with only dreams, no nightmares. Awaken refreshed and go eat. And when you return, bring a book with you."

Lucrecia yawned suddenly, her sleep-deprivation catching up to her. She looked back at Vincent, smiling sadly.

"I think I need some sleep, Vincent. I'll be back soon, and I'll bring something to read to you. You'd like that, right? Please don't be mad at me Vincent…" she walked towards the door, yawning. "Better lock my door too…I don't want to deal with Hojo right now." She was almost outside when she stopped and turned around to face Vincent again.

"I'm so sorry…" she whispered, disappearing out the door.

Galain sat down on the floor and pulled out a quill from his pocket and a piece of parchment from the other.

My Dear Friend, XIII,

As of now, I believe that the Terrain Lucrecia falls into the category of "empathetic," for she is now acting on her feelings and doing her best to complete the impossible: bringing a dead soul back to life. I now believe my intervention is inevitable. This may be my last letter to you. You will take care of the Guardians while I am gone, I hope?

Shiva visited me today. She seems to be angry at my decision of choosing Ser Valentine as the Dirge of Cerberus. Did I make the wrong choice? I strongly believe I did not. He has a strong heart, XIII, and an even stronger will. He is stubborn but intelligent. Most of all, he is loyal and brave.

A perfect Dirge, I believe..

Spread my best wishes to the others. It was wonderful working with you all. True friends, all of you. Tell Dao Cho that he still has to pay off his debts to me, despite my soon imprisonment.

Until We Meet Again Someday,

Galain Beast of the Northern Mountains,

Daemon General, Leader of the Guardians, Patriarch of Cosmo Canyon

P.S. Terrains are very interesting creatures, I have learned.

Galain folded his letter and sealed it with his mark. Then he whistled and a dark flacon soared into the room, her unnatural purple eyes shining as it landed on Galain's arm.

"Ago, take this to Number XIII of the Knights of the Round. Godspeed, my friend," he told the falcon, attaching the letter to her leg. The falcon cawed and then flew away.

* * *

**Everything Falls Into Place**

One week passed. All the time Galain had left was gone in the blink of an eye.

He was not afraid.

Lucrecia was sobbing, crying, begging. She couldn't do it. No, she couldn't bring the dead to life. She couldn't save him. Galain watched with pity in his eyes as she struggled to hold onto hope, struggled to find the solutions that did not exist.

"It's not working!" she sobbed, slamming her fists into the keyboard. Galain sighed. Yes, now was time. He would give her the Protomateria now, give her back her hope. He pulled the orb from its hiding spot in oblivion and smiled down at it.

"And now, to change it all," he whispered. He took a step towards the Terrain woman and began to focus on appearing to her when he heard it.

The beating of wings….Chaos's approach!

In less than the time it took to breath, Galain found himself flying across the room and pinned to the wall by a force equivalent to being hit by six speeding trains. The Protomateria was still clutched in his left paw.

Chaos held him to the wall, claws extended and centimeters away from Galain's neck.

"Traitor! Deceiver! Fraud! You are a disgrace to your title and I should kill you where you stand!"

"Then kill me," Galain replied sardonically. "Your threat changes nothing."

"Give it to me, Galain," Chaos hissed, eyes boring holes into Galain's own. That glare, known for killing many of Chaos's adversaries, had no effect on the Beast.

"Take it, Daemon Lord Chaos. Take it back, end my life, and continue with your worthless existence."

"Why you good for nothing…!" Chaos was completely ready to rip out Galain's vocal cords and strangle him with them when he caught sight of something in the corner of his eye. "No…" he backed up, dropping Galain to the ground, the traitor forgotten. "They were all dead!" he roared, eyes widening with malice. "I killed the last of them! That…That _scientist_, Grimore! I killed him, there was no other! THERE WAS NO OTHER!"

Galain struggled back to his feet, looking at the raving lunatic that so many Daemons bowed to. He had once fallen for the same trick, once bowed to the same maniac. No longer would he be lead along like a sheep to the slaughter. He would change everything.

Galain was not one for bravery. He'd gained his position of General, the highest position under the Daemon Lords themselves, through his wit and intelligence. But never his bravery, for courage was a fool's game. But now…he would have to be brave.

While Chaos was distracted with Ser Valentine's appearance into the whole equation, Galain was brave. With all his might, he threw the Protomateria at the wall, allowing it to bounce off and roll onto the floor…

...and coming to a rest right at Lucrecia's feet.

Chaos didn't notice. He was glaring at the tube holding the last Valentine to walk the Planet in his comatose.

"Galain, you conniving little snake! I will kill you and then drown this _abnormality_ in your traitorous blood!" Chaos raged. He charged the tube, prepared to destroy the casing and kill both the Valentine and Galain Beast, his once most trusted official.

"STOP!" Lucrecia screamed. Chaos stopped, claws extended inches from her face. The scientist stood defiantly in front of Chaos, blocking him with her body and preventing a direct route to Vincent. In her hands she clutched the Protomateria. By its magic, she could now see both Galain and Chaos.

"MOVE WOMAN!" Chaos commanded. Lucrecia, body quivering, fear in her eyes, did not. "MOVE!"

"Do no such thing, Sira Crescent! You are safe, do not move!" Galain called over Chaos's shoulder.

"Shut up, Traitor! Move, wench! Let me kill this defect!"

"N-no…" Lucrecia stammered. "I-I won't let you! Y-you st-tay away from h-him!" Chaos continued to glare at her, seconds away from killing her _and _the Valentine…

But he couldn't…those…those eyes…he stood, transfixed. As Galain watched, Chaos backed down, anger still evident. He'd try to find another opening.

Galain looked over Lucrecia's shoulder, smiling. Ser Valentine's eyes were wide open; he was scowling and glaring at Chaos, trying to get out of his containment to attack the Daemon. Chaos decided to look up at that moment.

"Wha…" he pointed at Valentine, his eyes squinting. "Are you alive or dead?!"

"Take one more…step…and I'll…claw your…eyes out…" Vincent hissed. Lucrecia stood up straight and then turned around, shocked eyes meeting glaring ones. Vincent's face immediately softened.

"Don't worry, Vincent. They won't…no, they _can't_ hurt me. Just rest," Lucrecia whispered, smiling. Vincent looked slightly shocked but nodded.

"You're…smiling….everything…is alright?" he struggled to say.

"Everything's fine, Vincent. Don't worry about me. Rest now."

"O…okay…" Vincent closed his eyes again and Lucrecia turned around to face the two Daemons again.

"Who are you, and where did you come from?" she questioned, still clutching the Protomateria to her body.

"Nobody from nowhere. Give me the Protomateria and let me get the hell out of here," Chaos commanded.

"Protomateria?"

"I am Galain Beast of the Northern Mountains, and I come from the region of Cosmo Canyon; although I came from the Lifestream to get to here," Galain answered to Lucrecia's first question, earning a glare from Chaos. "And yes, that is the Protomateria you are holding."

"That means…you are…"

"We're the proof that your thesis is true." Before Lucrecia could reply, Chaos cut in.

"Thesis? What thesis?!"

"Dr. Crescent's thesis on the ascension of Lord Omega and on the existence of 'sentient life forms.' By the way, you can call us Daemon, Doctor. It's much easier to say."

"How would a Terrain know that?!" Chaos fumed.

"_The Chronicles of Yore_, of course!" Galain said proudly. Chaos groaned.

"The Protomateria…Galain of the Northern…Sentient Beings…" Lucrecia quietly connected the dots while the two Daemons argued. "That makes you….Chaos…"

_Behold mighty Chaos; Omega's squire to the lofty Heavens. _

Chaos turned and glared at Lucrecia again.

"Yes it does. If you value your soul, you'll give me _my_ Protomateria and let me leave after killing that _abomination_." But Lucrecia didn't hear any of Chaos's order after the words "Yes."

"Grimore…" she whispered, smiling sadly. "You…you were right."

"Hey, you alive in there Terrain? Do as I say!" Chaos ordered. Lucrecia looked up at him, eyes suddenly turning fierce.

"So it was _you_."

"Huh?"

"You…You killed Grimore!"

"Who? Oh! The Valentine. Yea, it was a piece of cake. He didn't even fight back. Oh well…Can I have the Protomateria back now?" Lucrecia's became slits as she unconsciously dug her nails into the materia orb in her hand. One by one, tiny cuts appeared along Chaos's arms. "Hey! Cut that out!" he called. Lucrecia released the pressure on the orb and looked down at it imploringly.

"Did I…?"

"Yes, you did Sira. Although that materia orb is a direct tap into Chaos's power, the condition of the orb represents his physical and mental condition. Everything connects to each other," Galain answered proudly. Chaos looked murderous.

"Then why did you give this to me? What use is it to…?"

"It can bring your Vincent back to life," Galain said calmly. Lucrecia's eyes shot open and Chaos looked delirious.

"I will do no such thing! Let the Valentine die!" Chaos ordered.

"This can…save Vincent?" Lucrecia asked Galain, ignoring Chaos all together. "How?"

"By combining it with his body, he will regain his life."

"It can't be that simple."

"Well…of course there will be side effects. He will be stronger than any Terrain would ever dream to be." (_Except, of course, for the Savior, but he is not alive yet, Galain thought._) "He might become immortal. The hair on his head might grow out faster. The effects change from person to person."

"He could be eaten alive from the inside out and rot like the corpse he is!" Chaos added. "Actually, there is a high chance of tha…"

"Ignore Chaos, he has no idea what the effects of combining would be," Galain said calmly, smiling.

"Vincent…would have to…what would happen to the two of you?" Lucrecia asked. To Chaos's horror, she was actually planning on doing what Galain was suggesting.

"We would live in Vincent's subconscious. He probably wouldn't even know we were…"

"No," Lucrecia said, looking mortified.

"Excuse me?" Galain asked.

"No…I won't plague Vincent with more demons, even if the ones he originally had weren't literal. I've already done enough to him."

"Yes! I knew it! Good choice woman! Now move so I can…"

"But you can't kill him either. I…I'll find another way to save him," Lucrecia said bravely.

(You should need no reminder of what Galain thinks of bravery.)

"Just let me kill him! It'll end his suffering! He won't even feel it, I swear!" Chaos begged. Galain smiled, for Chaos must be desperate if he was begging a Terrain for permission to do _anything_.

"Shut up…" Lucrecia said, tears falling from her eyes.

"Lady Lucrecia…If I told you there was no other way to bring the dead to life than to…" Galain interjected

"I know! I know, okay!" she sobbed. "I've killed him and have no way to bring him back!"

"But you do."

"Don't listen to him! You have no way!" Chaos panicked. No, Galain would not win this battle…he couldn't!

"He'll be tortured by you."

"We'll be nothing he can't handle. As you said before, he's already learned to handle demons."

Lucrecia turned away, resting her forehead against the class separating her from her lover. The room was silent except for her sobs. Galain wished to comfort the woman; Chaos wished to kill her, Galain, and the Valentine.

"Wha…what do I do?" she whispered. Galain walked up and put one arm around her shoulder to try and comfort her.

"All you do is say the word "relinquish" and allow the materia to activate," he answered.

"And then…?"

"You place it where Ser Valentine's heart would have been. The materia will function as his heart, the blood will circulate again….he will live."

"Don't do it!" Chaos called.

"But…what if…it destroys him…?"

"It will not…Unfortunately, we must thank Hojo's twisted mind for that."

"I'm so sorry…Vincent…but…so…so happy….You're going…to live…" Lucrecia whispered, smiling again.

Time slowed for Chaos. He knew what was happening but couldn't believe it. How could he be tricked by Galain Beast, of all Daemons?! How could this be happening?!

His only chance was to kill the Terrain before the woman could ruin everything.

He charged.

Something grabbed his arm and pulled him back. A laugh.

"Let me go! I must kill him before…"

"You can't kill my son, Chaos. You should know this already."

"No…How…." Chaos turned to stare into the spectral face of Grimore Valentine. "Y-you!"

"Accept your fate, Daemon Lord. You can't avoid it. It's already too late." The spirit grinned, a grin full of malice and hate. "You finally receive your just desserts. You've lost."

Chaos screamed with rage, his last actions as a free Daemon was flicking off Galain.

Galain only smiled as he began to deteriorate.

"I've won."

The world went black.

* * *

**Demented Hamsters Wheels**

**(You may not think so, but this is where it gets weird.)**

Galain awoke to an eerie silence. He struggled to his feet and looked around.

He'd heard that souls represented the person, but this was ridiculous.

All around him was nothing but a wasteland. Crimson sand beneath his feet and a lightless sky above his head. Next to him floated what was the remains of a clock, still ticking. Father on, a floating chair, the legs missing. A violin playing a song by itself. A disassembled gun. A burned book. The more Galain looked, the more he found the tattered remains of Vincent Valentine's life.

Not too far off was the Valentine Manor…burned to the ground.

In the distance, he could see craggy mountain peaks with dark swirling clouds surrounding them. He could see what looked like rain falling on some of the taller peaks, but the water was a strange color. He turned away from the mountains to catch sight of a forest not to far from his spot. The trees were tall, dark, and, just like everything else, dead. He began to walk towards them.

"Ser Galain!"

"Galain!" The Beast stopped and turned around as Helin and Gigas ran up to him. They looked petrified. Galain began to second guess himself. Something wasn't right here.

"Where are we, Ser?!" Gigas moaned. "Is this Oblivion? Is this Hell?!"

"No. This is Vincent Valentine's soul."

"What? This…this is…"

"Look what you've done, Galain!" Helin stated. "You've trapped us in this hellish place!"

"Oh, you can handle it."

A howling was heard far in the distance, near the craggy peaks. Helin revved his chainsaw, looking around, paranoia sinking in.

"Stay close to me, Brother," he said to Gigas. "I will find our way out of here." He began to walk away.

"No…escape…" a voice called from the forest. "There is…no…escape." Helin and Gigas bolted away.

Galain sighed and turned, walking back towards the voice. He carefully observed his surroundings as he went. He passed a stream, its water crimson as blood. Galain guessed it actually _was_ blood and avoided it. He passed numerous clearings, each with something in the center. One had a fully set table, its food rotting away uneaten. Another, a wedding alter, cobwebs forming all around. In one, a woman sat playing the piano; but as Galain got closer to inspect, the woman gasped for breath and slumped over, dead. And, the more Galain walked, the more covered in blood his feet became.

This was truly a horrifying place.

"Wow, this kid takes _demented_ to a whole other level, doesn't he?" Galain stopped and looked into another clearing. Chaos stood there, admiring his surroundings. "Kinda homey, don't'cha think?"

"Whatever you say, Chaos," Galain replied, walking on. Chaos followed after.

"Look Galain, I see dead people in trees!" Galain stopped dead again, Chaos running into his back.

The clearing they'd arrived in was by far the worst thing Galain had ever seen. Just as Chaos said, in the trees there hung countless humans, strung up with what looked like violin strings. Some had their eyes open, others had them closed. All had different looks on their faces, from peaceful to full of anguish. Man, woman, child…they were all there. Each was had blood dripping from their limbs, causing a blood rain to fall into the clearing.

If that wasn't bad enough, the floor of the clearing was just as bad, if not worse. The ground was soaked in blood, and everywhere there were corpses and skeletons and body parts scattered. All except for the dead center, where a little boy stood, perfectly clean from blood, playing with a cats-in-the-cradle rope. The boy had black hair and blood red eyes.

A younger Vincent Valentine.

"You know, if you stay here, he'll find you," the boy said, smiling but not looking up from his game. "And if he finds you, he'll kill you."

"I fear no mortal!" Chaos boasted, smiling.

"I just want to get out of here…" Galain said, feeling sick.

"Don't try to run, there is no escape," he smiled at the two Daemons. "You're going to die, just like the rest of them."

"Chaos, we should leave…"

"Ha! It's just a child! What's the worst that can happen?" Chaos laughed.

"Look!" the boy said proudly, holding up his hands to show his completed work. "Jacob's Ladder!" Galain smiled for a moment before he noticed what the string was made of.

Violin string.

"Chaos…I don't think…" Galain whispered, backing up.

"Now that that is complete…goodbye Daemons!" the boy laughed. Around him, the corpses began to stand; the bodies in the trees began to move. All began to march towards Chaos and Galain.

"Run?" Galain suggested.

"Good idea," Chaos agreed. They turned and fled away from the clearing.

"Oh well, start again," the boy whispered behind them, letting the string fall from his hands.

"Galain, I wish to tell you something!" Chaos said as they reached the safety of the next clearing.

"What is it, Chaos?"

"I believe your mind is like a hamster in a wheel."

"Excuse me?"

"Yes, like a hamster. It runs and runs and runs with no break, just like your mind. That's when your genius ideas come, when that hamster is running."

"Oh, I see. This is just a very strange complement."

"I'm not done. For you see, there are points when your mind _doesn't_ work, Galain. That is like the hamster when something stops the wheel. Say for example, a hand. What happens when the wheel is stopped suddenly, Galain?"

"The hamster goes flying off?" Galain asked, smirking.

"Yes. And right now, Galain, your hamster just went flying into the next COUNTRY! That's how bad your _lapse of judgment_ was!" Chaos concluded. Galain started waving his hand around in the air.

"Teacher, teacher!" he called, waving his hand.

"What is it, Galain?"

"Can I go get my hamster?" Chaos slapped himself in the forehead.

"It was a figure of speech!"

"I kno…w…." Galain stopped, looking around. "Chaos…where are we?"

"In that stupid Valentine's…soul….what the fuck?!" Chaos spun around and around, taking in the sight.

Some how, the whole forest had changed. Everything was…alive…Birds were chirping, the leaves of the trees were swaying…

There were even _flowers_ on the ground.

"Okay…?" Galain muttered. "This is weird…"

In the center, there was a man sitting on a tree stump, playing the violin. Resting on his lap was a long, bloody knife. He wore a blue suit, stained around the heart. At his feet, a gun lay, leaning against the stump. The man opened his eyes, their red depths gleaming. He stopped playing and stared blankly at Chaos and Galain.

"I don't talk to strangers," Vincent Valentine said. "Go away."

* * *

**A/N: Anyone want to play Cats in the Cradle?**

**And that's the end of that chapter. What do you think, hmm? Did you like it? Hate it? I hope I didn't disturb you too much there. **

**Reviews? Questions? Comments? Flames? Ideas? Rants? I'll take it all! **


	18. Chapter 17: In the Mind of the Dirge

**A/N: Who's a slacker? I'm a slacker! lol, okay. Sorry I took so long! Please forgive me! Enjoy the chapter! **

**Disclamer: I do not own FFVII or the song lyrics to Skilet's "Comatose." The poem and story plot are mine though.**

* * *

Nobody's Listening

Chapter Seventeen: In the Mind of the Dirge

_I'll close my eyes and count to ten_

_Open them and start again_

_Then I'll realize this, you see._

_It's just you, me, and my insanity. _

_**"The Three of Me," An original Poem by Jynx Tsilevon**_

**Strangers**

"I don't talk to strangers, go away," Vincent repeated. The two…things…didn't move. One, the dog-looking thing, stared at him with utter amazement. The other, dare he think it, more-human looking thing looked pissed. When they didn't listen the second time, he gave up.

They were probably just figments of his insanity anyway. Gaia knows that's where Strings came from.

Vincent shrugged and picked up the violin again, beginning to play a song called "Solitude." He stopped almost instantly, noting the irony of the music, and picked a different song. He decided on "Sweet Memories…" despite the fact he had none he could think of. He stopped again, finally choosing to play "La Serenissima." There were no memories or irony with that song.

At least, none he knew of.

He stopped playing again. His "audience" was still here.

"Go away," he repeated. "Go play with Strings or something." He began to tune the violin. Not exactly a _nervous_ habit, but something to occupy his time until he was left alone.

"Strings," the dog thing repeated. It wasn't exactly a question, but Vincent treated it as such.

"Yes, the kid back in the forest. You know, the one playing with the string."

"You mean the thing that tried to kill us?!" the human-like figment spat.

"What, scared of an eight year old?" Vincent muttered sarcastically.

"Hell no!" it replied. The dog shook its head at its companion, choosing to stay silent. "I fear no mortal, Terrain or otherwise." The ex-Turk stopped tuning his instrument. He looked up at the two beings in front of him, quirking an eyebrow.

"Who... or what... are you?" he asked, squinting at them.

The human-think spoke first.

"I am the Daemon Lord Chaos, and you, pitiful Terrain, are my host. I expect complete and utter submission from you. I did not want to be here in the first place anyway. In fact, if I could have, I would have already ripped your worthless body to shreds and eaten your soul..."

Vincent stopped listening to this "Lord Chaos" and turned to the other thing.

"And you?"

"My name is Galian," he said simply. "More commonly known as Galian Beast, it is a pleasure to meet you, Ser."

_Ser?_ Vincent thought. _There's an old word for you. Dad said something about it being from the time of the Cetra. Means "sir," if I remember correctly._ Vincent paused in his thoughts and looked at Galian.

"HOW DARE YOU IGNORE ME!" In an instant Vincent was on his feet, a fully loaded shotgun pointed directly at Chaos's head. Chaos glared at Vincent. "You stupid Terrain, you insolent fool! When a Daemon such as myself chooses to address a lowly being such as yourself, the _least_ you could do is pay attention!" Vincent blinked. "Well? What do you stay to that?"

"Hi Strings," Vincent replied, lowering the gun. Chaos shook his head.

"Very funny, but I'm not falling for that one!"

(It was at this time that Galian had started to slowly back away from Chaos and begun to semi-hide behind Vincent. Yes, you guessed it, Vincent wasn't lying.)

"Hey Mr. Valentine!" Chaos's eyes widened slightly. "Did you meet the Others? The freaky one didn't want to play with me. Mr. Galian did, though. I like him, can he stay?"

"Who are you calling 'freaky'?!" Chaos whipped around angrily. He instantly ate his words.

"Strings" and his army of the undead were back.

**

* * *

**

Terra Wrought, Soul Corrupt

The forest was silent again. Strings and his army had chased Chaos out of the forest and into the surrounding wastelands, leaving Vincent and Galian alone in the silence. Vincent had gone back to tuning his violin after Chaos had...departed. Galian had sat down to watch him, amazed...

...and he still sat there now. He didn't even know when Vincent had stopped tuning and started watching him.

"Why won't you leave?" Vincent asked.

"You don't scare me as much as you scare Ser Chaos," Galian replied. Somewhere he bet Chaos was screaming "HE DOESN'T SCARE ME!"

"So Daemons can be afraid of humans?"

"Of course; we feel all emotions just as you would. Fear is only natural." Vincent made no reply. Galian sighed. "Yes, Vincent Valentine, even_ you_ have a fear."

Vincent changed the subject.

"My father would have died to meet a thing like you. That is, if you actually _are_ a Daemon. Quite frankly, I just think your just figments of my imagination, which shows just how twisted Turk made me."

"I am not a figment of your imagination, sorry to say." Galian smiled sadly at Vincent. "But do not try to change the subject, Ser."

"I don't want to talk about this anymore. Come back later."

"Don't try to avoid the question."

"I'm not avoiding the question!" Vincent shot back at him. Then he sighed and turned away. "No, I'm arguing with a dog..." He muttered angrily to himself. "Okay Vincent, calm down. Think about this logically. If that's possible...but it's not. Okay, I must be going crazy. Well, I can't be crazy because I'm dead...or I'm supposed to be dead. Oh dear Gaia I _am_ loosing it..."

Galian watched Vincent start pacing with a worried look on his face. The Beast couldn't help but think that the man reminded him of someone.

"Vincent, I bet you've heard this often, but you remind me very much of your father," Galian said, smiling. His smile faded quickly when Vincent stopped dead in his tracks, scowling.

"I am _not_ like him!" Vincent growled. His eyes became slits as he glared at Galian. Galian slid away from his quietly, slightly taken aback.

"Though not your fear, this is one of your vices, is it not?" Galian knew he was provoking Vincent, but that was what he was trying to do. "You hate being compared to your father, don't you?"

"I'm not like him!" Vincent repeated. "We aren't alike in anyway! Stop comparing me to him! I'm not _him_!" He held his hands over his ears and closed his eyes. "Please, don't make me him..." Galian was surprised. The man in front of him was no longer angry. He was sad, begging...but why, the Daemon had no idea. "Just stop!" Vincent screamed. "I can't take this anymore! Stop putting us together!"

Galian watched in shock as the world changed around him. The darkness that had somehow surrounded but not entered the clearing was on the move now. It was slowly crawling its way in...in the form of hands, no less. Before the Beast's eyes, the clearing started to wither away, the sky began to darken, the ground turned black with blood. The trees lost their splendor and became nothing more than dead limbs attached to spindly trunks. And yet, Vincent seemed totally oblivious to all of this.

He was backing dangerously close to the trees; their limbs reached out towards him, trying to drag him deeper into darkness.

"Look around you, Vincent!" Galian had to yell now, for a fierce biting wind had picked up. "You tried to outrun your fear, to push it back and keep it away. You tried to deny a very fact that makes you human. Open your eyes, Valentine! It's all around you!" As Galian spoke, the trees caught hold of Vincent's arms and legs, wrapping themselves around his body. They rooted his feet to the ground and forced his arms away from his head. More limbs began to crawl towards his mouth. Vines began to tighten around his neck. The tree limbs were covered in thorns; Vincent was bleeding from everywhere.

Vincent opened his eyes a little too late.

"No..." he choked out, eyes widening. Galian watched silently- mournfully- as this occurred. He could do nothing to help.

"You fear corruption...your own corruption," the Daemon whispered. Vincent's fear-filled eyes made contact with Galian's sympathetic ones.

"What...have I done?" he moaned, and said no more. The limbs of the trees had found their mark, and the torn ridden vines had forced their way down Vincent's throat. The last part of his sanity had suffocated and bled to death...

**

* * *

**

A Dream of the Past: The Wall in the Well

"_Yo Vinnie, you okay?" Vincent opened his eyes and saw Zel standing over him with a worried look in his eyes. _

"_Zel, why are you looking at me like an idiot?" Vincent sat up, holding the back of his head. Why did it hurt like hell? _

"_Well, you just fell down a manhole...I thought you were dead." _

"_I _what_?!" _

"_Actually, it's more like you were just pushed down a manhole and I was pushed down after you and landed on you," Zel smiled. "So yeah, we're in a sewer...actually, it's an old abandon well. So it's like a sewer now... The others are coming down soon, since it's safe now." _

"_Who pushed me in here?"_

"_Uh...River...or was it Freya?" Zel scratched his head. "I dunno." _

"_They're both going down," Vincent muttered as he stood up and begun to straighten his uniform. _

"_Actually, we're already here," Freya said, hopping off the ladder. River was right above her, and more Turks could be seen above...at least their silhouettes. _

"_Thanks for the trip," Vincent growled, rubbing the growing bruise on his head._

"_Aww, poor Vinnie, he's got a boo-boo. Why don't you kiss it and make it better, Freya?" River giggled. _

"_Why don't you? You're the one who's dating his brother," Freya retorted, giggling herself. "That'd be an interesting threesome, now wouldn't it?" Zel turned bright red and exchanged a look with Vincent as Tori (River's Ex) fell off the ladder in shock. _

_Vincent cleared his throat. _

"_Moving on," he said, now that most of the Turks were down in this "well," "why are we down here anyway?" _

"_There were reports of people disappearing around the well site. This, coupled with the howling and screaming that could be heard in the Slums has made this place a site of investigation," River rattled off, looking bored._

"_So why are we here?" Legion muttered. "We're Turks, what do we care?" _

"_Lilith's orders," Lin stated. Kilick yawned. _

"_Well, lets get this over with," Verdot said, looking around. "Watch your step everyone." _

_They searched for three hours...and, to say the least, they found nothing._

"_Okay, can we go home now?" Riley moaned. "There's nothing down here but rats!" It was then that the flashlights the Turks were carrying went out. _

"_Dammit!" a man yelled. It sounded like David. A few people yelped, one person screamed. _

"_Does anyone have fire materia?" Freya called. Vincent groped around the slimy wall, smiling when his hand wrapped around something that felt like wood. _

"_Zel, a match!" he called. "I found a torch!" _

"_A torch?!" the Turks asked. Zel dug in his pockets for a match. _

"_I'm to your left, Zel," Vincent muttered. He felt Zel's hand land on his shoulder and another hand give him a match. Vincent lit the match and used it to quickly look at his partners before lighting the torch on the wall._

_The whole room lit up. _

"_I've heard of secret underground cults, but this is ridiculous!" Rachel exclaimed as the group looked around. There was a table set up with empty wine glasses in front of a blank wall. An open wine bottle sat next to a set of broken vials._

"_Suicide pact," muttered Kyra, looking around. "That'd be my guess."_

"_Arsenic," Lin stated, holding up a vial. "I agree with Kyra." The others just sighed or shook their heads. _

"_Suicidal people make me sick," Zel groaned, sounding annoyed. River snorted and Freya gave Zel this look of disbelief. _

"_Hypocrites make me sick too, Zel," Vincent replied, laughing slightly. Zel looked confused before looking embarrassed. _

"_Uh...oopse...that came out wrong..." the other Turks burst out laughing. Then they all went silent, looking at the blank wall again. It wouldn't have normally phased any of them, except that it was a wall in the center of the room that didn't connect to anything. On it was tacked a note. Freya walked over and pulled off the note._

"'_Dear anyone. If you are reading this, then our experiment was a success." The Turks exchanged looks and waited for Freya to keep reading. "'We were able to free our souls from our bodies and ascend to the heavens. Do not mourn us. Thank you for finding this note.' That's where the note ends, guys. Under it is a list of names of all the participants. And, yes, you guessed it, it's all the missing persons we were looking for." Freya sighed._

_River walked over to Zel and grabbed him by the back of the neck._

"_See this, Zel? Is _this_ how you want to go?" she said, forcing him to look around the dismal room. Zel laughed nervously._

"_Nah. I was thinkin' of something way flashier." River hit Zel in the back of the head and turned to leave, following the others._

"_Guys, does anyone have the irresistible urge to graffiti that wall?" Riley asked, pointing towards it. The Turks who were starting to leave stopped and turned around, grinning._

"_But what to write?" David asked, pulling the "Thinking Man" pose. Silence filled the underground chamber, with nobody moving or saying anything until Vincent took a step forward. One, and then another, one foot in front of the other. He walked up to the wall and smiled to himself before pulling out a pocket knife from his jacket. _

"_Vincent, what are you doing?!" Zel yelled, watching his brother as he slit his palm and watched the blood pool in his hand. Vincent smiled down at the blood before dipping finger in it and beginning to write with it. He wrote quickly, ignoring the pain in his hand. When he was done, he stepped back and nodded to the other Turks._

"_Your guys' turn," he said. But no Turk moved; they were all transfixed by what Vincent wrote. _

_**I WANT TO BE FORGIVEN – V. VALENTINE**_

_There was Vincent's testimony, and it was written in his own blood. _

_Zel was the next to write something. He didn't write it in blood, but in black permanent marker._

_**I WANT AN END TO SUFFERING (OF MYSELF AND OTHERS)- Z. STRIFE/VALENTINE**_

_It was after that that everyone began to write, in whatever they had on them. A once blank wall became the confessional for all of ShinRa's Turks. _

"_Wow, the wall looks so much better now, doesn't it?" Kilick said, smiling. _

"_There you all are!" Lilith walked out of the darkness, shaking her head. Verdot waved to her. _

"_I called her earlier, in case she wanted to write something," Verdot explained. "You know, since she is our boss." _

"_Brown noser," Freya muttered. Lilith nodded around to the room, at each one of her Turks. She looked at what they all had wrote and smiled. _

"_Good Turks," she said, nodding again. "Zel, a marker please." Zel threw her his marker and she walked to the wall, writing her testimony right next to Vincent's. _

_**I WANT TO BE FREE- L. CHIAKI**_

"_Free?" Zel asked. Lilith just shrugged and handed him the marker. _

"_You're all dismissed," she said. No one moved. "Goodbye," she said more forcefully. The Turks began to disperse...all but Vincent, of course. _

"_What do you want to be free of, Lilly?" Vincent asked quietly. Lilith didn't move her eyes from the wall._

"_From this shit of a company I work for. From the way of life I was born into. From the commitment that's forced on me..." she paused. "From Akito..." Vincent put a reassuring hand on her shoulder and she sighed. "What about you, Vincent?"_

"_I want to be forgiven from my sins," Vincent replied._

"_Sins? What sins?" Lilith asked, turning to face him. "Vincent, you're the nicest Turk in all of Midgar. You don't steal, rape, or go outside the law. You only kill the people who deserve it. You don't do drugs and only drink on occasion, and it's mostly wine! Of all the Turks, you're the last one who needs to be forgiven." _

"_That's where you're wrong, Lilith," Vincent muttered, walking away from her. Lilith then noticed Vincent's left arm. It was covered in blood. "I'm the monstrosity of the Turks."_

"_Vincent, that's not..." _

"_I'm a monster, Lilith. More of one than you'll ever know..." Vincent began to disappear into the darkness of the tunnel. Lilith couldn't move as she watched him walk away, his left arm transformed into a grosteque appendage. It looked like the arm of a demon, a purple mass of scar-tissue. A foreshadowing of what one day he would become. _

_Lilith didn't know why, but the next thing she knew she was on the ground, sobbing for the man walking away from her. _

"_No," she cried, clutching herself. "It's just not true..." _

**

* * *

**

Comatose

Vincent woke up to three pairs of yellow eyes staring down at him. The dog thing, _Galian_, was there, along with his friends the Frankenstein Wannabe and the Chainsaw Guy.

This was just great; there was more overwhelming proof that he was loosing his mind.

"It lives," Frankenstein said.

"Excuse me, I'm a he," Vincent retorted, sitting up. "If anything's an 'it,' it's you." Frankenstein muttered something inaudible and backed away, followed by Chainsaw Guy. They both moved to huddle by the door of the room. "Where am I?" Vincent asked Galian.

"In your room...or, well, the memory of your room from the Valentine Mansion," Galian replied. "At least, the part that engraved itself on your soul."

"Welcome home!" snickered the Chainsaw Guy. Vincent glared at him. He shut up and cowered.

"I thought I was dead," Vincent muttered, remembering the whole incident in the forest.

"You're already dead, Vincent," Galian explained. "That was only a fragment of your soul that..."

"Died to the corruption that's overtaking me, right?" Vincent interrupted, standing up. Yup, he was in his room alright. It was exactly as he left it.

"Not exactly..." Galian stepped back as Vincent walked towards the window. The man didn't ask for a more in-depth explanation. "Ser, what did you see while you were asleep?"

Vincent thought back to the memory and scowled. He truly was monster. This was just proof of it.

"It's none of your business," he shot at Galian, placing his hand on the glass of the window.

"But Ser-"

Vincent held up his hand and Galian stopped talking.

"I want to be forgiven..." Vincent whispered. Galian, Helin, and Gigas exchanged a look and the last two backed out of the room. Galian remained, watching his host with worry. Vincent had pressed his forehead to the window and was whispering to himself.

Wait...no...he was _singing_.

"Comatose... I'll never wake up without an overdose of You  
I don't wanna live, I don't wanna breathe  
'Les I feel You next to me  
You take the pain I feel  
Waking up to You never felt so real  
I don't wanna sleep, I don't wanna dream  
'Cause my dreams don't comfort me  
The way You make me feel  
Waking up to You never felt so real."

Galian fled the room as Vincent's last sung lines rang out throughout the house.

_Waking up to you never felt...so...real..._

* * *

**A/N: Again, I apologize for taking so long. Thank you for reading. I hope you liked it. Please Review! - **

**BTW: I have a poll on my page that I'd like you all to look at. It's for How To Be Human, but you don't have to read that series to do the poll. Thank you in advance! **

**All Reviews get cookies! -**

**Until next time!**


	19. Chapter 18: The Princess of ShinRa Co

Nobody's Listening

Chapter Eighteen: The Princess of ShinRa Corporation

**Princess of the Turks**

Lilith Chiayki, Vice President of ShinRa Manufacturing, was known to be a nice but obstinate bitch. She never took no for an answer, liked to drive her employs crazy, commanded respect and attention when in a room, and making a bet to her was equivalent to signing your soul to the Devil. She was cold, ruthless, and stubborn but compassionate and pleasant to those who gained the title of one of her "friends."

Lilith Chiayki, Vice President of ShinRa Manufacturing, had nerves of steel. Years of hanging with the Turks and demanding their upmost obedience made her as tough as rock. She was a blonde-haired, blue-eyed genius, and, despite her unwillingness to admit it, she was beautiful. But she never used her body as a way to gain anything. If there was something she desired, she worked for it, or held someone at gunpoint until it was hers.

Lilith Chiayki, Vice President of ShinRa Manufacturing, was not someone to be taken lightly. She had a strong work ethic and an even stronger will. She would never back down from a challenge. She earned the title of "Princess" from the Turks for being so stubborn that it almost made her spoiled, and for the fact that she carried herself with an air of importance, though she looked down on nobody (but Akito).

Lilith Chiayki, Vice President of ShinRa Manufacturing, the woman who was made of stone, was crumbling to nothing but sand.

**Flight**

Lilith tapped nervously on her desk, looking at the blank screen of her lab top. She looked out the window, then back at the screen. It was a repeated pattern. Tap, look at screen, look out window, and look at screen. Repeat.

So much for typing the email to the Mayor of Midgar to promote the new waste management system.

"Ugh, I'm getting nowhere!" she moaned, holding her head in her hands. She looked at her watch-9:55 pm. She'd been working since lunch _ten hours ago_ to type this stupid email, and all she had was...

Nothing.

She looked out the window again and sighed. She had nothing because she had no focus. And, she had no focus because she was slowly becoming more paranoid as the days went on. And, as she became more paranoid, the more time she spent staring out the window. Thinking, pondering, wondering.

_Are my Turks still alive?_

_Is Petri resting now?_

_Will I be involved in these "Purges?" _

_Why am I afraid?_

_Where the hell is Vincent?_ She refused to at the word "body" to that thought. She knew he was dead, but refused to believe it

"Miss Chiayki?" came quiet voice over Lilith's intercom. Lilith lifted her head and looked at the intercom before pressing the button to speak.

"Yes Claire, what is it?" Lilith replied to her secretary, Claire Leshin.

"Well, I have good news and bad news, Ma'am. Which do you want first?" she answered.

"Good news. I've had a bad day."

"As my _source_s have reported, all the Turks have reported in and are either in hiding or half way to their home country. They're all safe, Ma'am."

"Birdman and Nymph hightailed it to the Eastern Horizon?"

"Yes Ma'am. Their expected arrival time was confirmed. Elda received notification this morning."

"So that's why she threw her phone out the window," Lilith chuckled.

"Yes Ma'am."

"My Turks go through too many phones."

"Yes they did, Ma'am." Lilith sat in quiet revere for a moment before speaking again.

"Okay, so what's the bad news?"

"President Akito wishes to see you, Ma'am."

"Did you tell him I was busy?" Lilith asked, sitting straight in her chair.

"Twice every hour."

"Persistent ass, isn't he?"

"Yes Ma'am."

"And you didn't notify me before because…?"

"I knew you didn't want to be disturbed."

"Claire, have I ever told you how much I appreciate you and your work?" Lilith smiled and, though Claire couldn't see it, the secretary could tell her boss meant her words.

"Yes Ma'am, you have. And Mr. Valentine and Mr. Strife also delivered a letter from the Turks expressing _their _gratitude awhile back."

"They did? Good dogs, eh?"

"Yes Ma'am," Claire laughed.

"And Claire?"

"Yes Ma'am?"

"It's Lilith, okay? Or Lily, if you prefer. No more of this 'Ma'am' stuff or I'm calling you Mrs. Leshin."

"Yes M- um, Okay, Lilith. But…just so you know, it's _Miss_ Leshin…I'm not married."

"You're _not_?!"

"No….is that a problem?"

"Do you have a boyfriend?"

"Um…no…."

"Well why not?!" Lilith fumed (though jokingly).

"Oh um…I …uh…"

"I was just joking, Claire."

"Oh." Lilith then heard the phone ringing over the intercom from Claire's side. "Excuse me for a moment." The intercom clicked and Lilith sighed.

_Time to pack up for the night, I think,_ she thought as she shut down her laptop.

"Lilith?" Claire called, this time sounding slightly panicked.

"Yeah?"

"He's coming…now…" Lilith cursed-loudly- as she shoved her lab top into its case, pulled out a pistol from her desk drawer and put it in its holster hidden under her shirt. She turned off the lights and hurried out of her office.

"Claire, is it true you were a hacker once?" she asked as she walked swiftly to her secretary's desk.

"Um, yes ma'am, I was," Claire replied, looking up from her computer.

"Is there anyway you can override the GPS tracker in my arm to say I'm heading home?"

"Aren't you heading home, ma'am?" Claire asked, already hacking into ShinRa's database.

"No, but if anyone asks…" Lilith started but Claire cut her off.

"You left at 9:00 pm and arrived at home ten minutes ago. I know this because you called me and told me to lock up your office," Claire smirked. "Twitch's new location is located three and a half blocks from Jak's bar. Stop by there to get the exact address, but I know it's in Sector 7."

"How did you…?"

"I texted him earlier today. Told him you were coming," Claire said, smiling softly.

"So you guessed I'd be going there now?"

"No, you're at home, Ma'am. The Princess of ShinRa is going to Zel's." Claire turned her computer screen around and showed Lilith. On it, a blinking dot was shown in the center of Lilith's house's floor plan-her bedroom. "Sweet dreams." Lilith nodded and bolted towards the stairs-she didn't want to chance running into Akito.

It killed her to know that she had to fly while she left Claire back-alone- to fight. But she had no other choice.

**Or Fight **

Akito ShinRa stormed down the hallway to VP Lilith Chiyaki's office. She had been avoiding him all day and he was sick of it. And he wasn't going to take her smart-ass secretary's excuse of "she's busy" anymore.

"Leshin!" he bellowed when Claire's desk came into view. "Tell Lilith I'm here and need to speak with her."

Claire looked up at him and blinked.

"I don't know what good that would do, Sir. She left for home an hour ago."

"What?!" Akito hissed, but he saw she was at least telling the partial truth. The light to Lilith's office was off.

"You heard me, Sir. You're only three feet in front of me."

"Don't get smart with me, girl. Where'd she go?"

"Home, Sir. I told you this too."

"You're lying."

"I am not. She called me ten minutes ago to tell me she'd arrived." Akito scowled but said nothing. Instead he turned away and flicked open his cell phone. After pressing a few buttons, he stared at the screen. Minutes passed and his scowl deepened. He flicked the phone closed and turned around again.

"What time did she check out?" he asked, glaring at Claire.

"I am not sure the exact time. I can call the lobby desk and ask, if you want."

"By all means, enlighten me," Akito replied sarcastically. He crossed his arms over his chest and glared at Claire as she picked up the phone and dialed the extension down the front desk.

"Hello, Stephen? Hey, it's Claire. Could you do me a favor? Um, yeah, what exact time did Miss. Chiyaki check out this evening? President ShinRa wishes to know….uh huh? Oh, 9:05 pm? Got it, thank you very much." Claire hung up her phone and nodded to Akito. "There you go, Sir. She checked out at 9:05 pm."

"I heard you the first time," Akito growled.

"I'm glad we could reach an agreement."

"We reached no 'agreement,' Leshin. You're bluffing. Don't deny it, it's written all over your face."

"Why won't you believe me, Sir? I'm telling the truth!" Claire slammed her hands down on her desk and rose to her feet to stare Akito in the eye.

"Liar," Akito spat. "You are a conniving bi…"

"President Akito, there you are!" called a friendly (to Claire's ears) voice. Akito backed off and looked over to see none other than Samuel Tuesti walking towards them.

"Sam. What are you doing here at this late hour?" Akito spoke smoothly, his previous rage seeming to dissipate into the air. But Claire wasn't fooled. She could still she his anger boiling in his eyes.

"I was working on an Urban Housing Plan, actually, and was supposed to give it to Li…the Vice President before she left. Unfortunately I missed her by about an hour, I think," Sam explained.

"An hour? How do you know?" Akito asked.

"Well, she checked in with my secretary to see how the plan was coming along before checking out tonight," he replied. He walked up to Claire and handed her a thick black folder with the ShinRa Company logo on it. "Claire, I hate to trouble you, but would you be a dear and give this to Miss. Chiyaki tomorrow? You know how the walk up here is on these old legs." Claire smiled and nodded.

"Of course, Mr. Tuesti. It's no trouble," Claire said, taking the folder and placing it in one of her desk drawers, with the other papers she would be handing Lilith the next day. She made sure that his Urban Development plan was on top, as she always did. Favoritism? Of course!

"Are you _sure_ Lilith checked in with your secretary?" Akito asked, breaking the moment. Sam nodded.

"Yes sir, very. I heard them talking, and Amanda came in to tell me that Miss Chiyaki had left after they were done with their conversation," Sam smiled good naturedly but the gesture disappeared quickly when he saw his boss was scowling. "Is…something wrong, sir?"

"No, nothing is wrong," Akito replied too quickly. "Good evening to you," he added just as quickly as he stalked off down the hall.

"Have a good evening!" Claire shouted, silently thanking whatever gods there were out in the Lifestream that allowed for such a saint as Samuel Tuesti.

**Battle Lines, Learning History**

As soon as Akito disappeared from the hallway, Sam's composed, blameless demeanor evaporated.

"So _you're_ Dirge's Informer," he accused. Claire sighed and sat down heavily on her chair.

"Yup. I was," she replied, laying her head on her desk. "I was."

"Are," Sam corrected. Claire jerked her head up.

"Dirge is dead, sir. I'm no longer the Informer." Claire struggled to keep the tears from her eyes. She had respected the Dirge more than she was willing to admit. She had grown up in the Slums and always been told to fear the Turks. When she had finally met the actual Turks, she'd been shocked.

"_Why are so suprised, Miss Leshin?" Vincent had asked. "Aren't we the same monsters you were always warned about?"_

But they weren't...none of them were anything like the stories. She'd come to love them all like the family she, as a Slum Rat, had never had. When Vincent had found out her feelings through Lilith, Claire had been afraid that she would be fired, killed...or whatever punishment the infamous Field Leader of the Turks could think of.

So she had practically fainted when Vincent had-in front of all the Turks, Miss Chiayki (Princess/ The White Queen), Fameos (the White King), Matthew Gast (Riddle), and even Grimore Valentine (Grandfather/Sable Knight)-given her a nickname. _Informer_.

She was now in the family.

"Once a Turk, always a Turk, Claire," Sam sighed. Claire laughed.

"I'm a secretary," she stated, "not a Turk."

"They gave you a nickname, you're a Turk enough. And I'll bet you know Dirge's Code," Sam stated, nodding towards Claire's phone. She smiled coyly.

"They made me teach Lilith." Silence settled before Claire spoke again. "Thank you...for covering the ass end of my story. I was worried he'd find a loophole, somewhere I hadn't covered." She took a breath. "But how did you know?"

"Princess told me herself, while she was running down the hall screaming 'I'm not here, none of you saw me!'," Sam laughed. "I swear, what my department goes through daily." Claire laughed as well as she began to pack up. Her boss was gone, so why should she stay? She paused in her preperations to leave and looked up at Sam.

"You'd risk your neck to save her, wouldn't you?" Claire asked, her eyes widening.

"As would you," Sam sighed. "Which makes no sense to me. I am old, I've lived my life. You're young yet, Claire. Why are you still here?"

"You're not that old, Mr. Tuesti!" Claire exclaimed. "And Lilith gave me a new chance at life. So did the Dirge, and Elder, and Twitchy and all the rest of them. I'm not a Slum Rat anymore. For Gaia's sake, they bought me a house on the Plate! I could never turn my back on them!" She stared Tuesti in the eye, silent tears falling. "But what about your life, your family? Mr. Tuesti, you need to leave."

"_Ketto Shi_," Sam whispered. Claire's tears ceased as her eyes widened.

"Who... new recruit? I knew none other than Mind Flyer and Pterodactyl...who...who's Ketto..."

"My son," Sam whispered. "They've named my son. For Gaia's sake, Vincent _named my son_!" His eyes became wild and panicked. "And they won't tell me why. Claire, what has my son done?!"

"Re...er, Ketto? I...I don't know. Something must have come...did you say the _Dirge_ named your son? But that means...I don't know what that means..." Claire had no idea how to calm the older man down. She didn't even know how Mr. Tuesti had found out about another naming before she had. Normally the Dirge would tell her first, even before the other Turks. That was the beauty of being the Informer.

"It means nothing, and the two of you should be getting home. Isn't it late?" Sam and Claire jumped and turned to see who had spoken.

"Elda!" Claire breathed a sigh of relief. Freya of the Turks stood, with her hands on her hips, staring at the pair and clicking her tongue like a disapproving mother.

"Ooh, Sammy, I'm tellin' Ruvi. I knew you were cheatin' on her with a cute secretary!" Sam blushed at the obsinity of Freya's comment as Claire looked mortified. "Ha, I'm kiddin' you two. I love ya'll lots, and I'd never spread such a horrible rumor. Unless...is it true?" Freya gave them both wide, puppy dog-innocent eyes. Both Sam and Claire were quick to assure her nothing but a friendly (uh, okay?) conversation was going on between them.

"Oh, I see. Lyin' to me are ya?" Freya scolded.

"What? Freya, I have no idea what you're talking ab..." Sam started.

"How'd you find out about our spy then?" Freya questioned. "Nobody told nothin' about Ketto but you two...well...just you, Sammy. I bet I know how Informer found out. That is her job." Freya waited for an answer, tapping her foot impatiently (although she was the most patient of all the Turks, excluding Vincent).

"Spy?!" Sam panicked. "Reeve's no spy! He's a child!"

"Damn smart child, but your right, he's a child none the less," Freya agreed. "But let me tell you a story.

You see, once upon a time, we great Turks were all having a top secret discussion in the Commons when the noble Dirge heard a noise. He walked over to one of the walls-which, on that day, we learned was hollow- and out fell a cute little kid. Well, of course that kid was scared shitless, with every demonic Turk starin' at him with angry ol' eyes.

Then the noble Dirge laughed-yes, he laughed!- and helped the kid up. _Sneaky Sneaky Ketto Shi_, he taunted, usin' Wutianese in his poem. Our sneaky little spy cat, Reeve Tuesti!" Freya sang, smiling. "See, Dirge gave 'im an honorary nickname. Never told ya cause we didn't want ya to know Reevey had the balls to spy on Turks."

"So there's nothing to worry about," Sam said, relieved.

"Um..." Freya scratched the back of her head. "Not actually." Sam looked deadly pale. Claire rushed around her desk to steady him, as he looked like he would faint.

"Wh...what now?" he stuttered.

"Protect Cait Sith," Freya recited, her eyes looking a bit glazed. Sam and Claire exchanged a look.

"What?"

"_Protect Cait Sith_," Freya repeated, a little more sternly. "And follow Dirge's Last Order."


	20. Chapter 19: The Meeting of the Turks

**A/N: Well, heh...here it is...**

**Yeah, How are all of you? Welcome to the next chapter!**

**One thing, just so you know.**

**Last chapter, I screwed up and said that Rachel and Legion (Carthage and Rome) were the ones that escaped to Wutai, but I meant that Birdman and Nymph (aka Kilick and Lin) were the ones that escaped.**

**Sorry for the confusion.**

**Okay, so same disclamers as always.**

**And, as always, thank you to old readers, new readers, and reviewers! ^_^**

* * *

Nobody's Listening

Chapter Nineteen: The Meeting of the Turks' Council

**Jak the Street Ear**

Lilith hated running. It wasn't that she wasn't good at running; saying that would be a lie. No, it was that she always believed running was a coward's move.

Yet here she was, running fast enough to challenge the fastest man in the world.

She finally slowed when she found herself in a recognizable district.

"Lilith!" she stopped running completely now, looking around for who had called her name. "Miss Lilith!" There it was again.

"Jak?" Lilith questioned. She was immediately greeted by a bear hug. She was sure that some of her bones broke. "Jak, I can't breathe!"

"I thought ya weren't breathin' before!" Jak said, nuzzling her like a cat. Lilith chuckled slightly, despite her exhaustion and fear. Jak could cheer even the most gothic man up. "Lokit, you're doin' fine, aren't ya? Right, Lily? It's all gonna be okay?"

"Jak!"

"Sorry, Lily," Jak let her go, setting her back down on the ground. "Right, ya need to find el'Twitchy, don't cha?" Lilith nodded. Jak nodded too and began walking off towards a random direction.

Or so it seemed.

"Heard anything lately?" Lilith whispered, looking around suspiciously.

"Supposed ta be some meetin' tonight. Old Dogs, a few Hackers, ya know? Maybe the Witches, who they're tryin' ta Purge, ya know? And, of course, the Guest of Honor..."

"Me?"

"Well, there were rumors," Jak smiled crookedly. "But no one knows for sure."

"I see," Lilith smiled too. "Where's the meeting taking place?"

"I have no idea."

"What?"

"Huh? Oh, Axel stopped talking after he told me who was coming. I wasn't invited, I'm too loud."

"What use is that?"

"Well, I assume they're usin' Twitchy's place, seein' as the Bunker's location is secret and we wouldn't want to put Riley's civilian BF in any more danger."

"Brilliant deduction, Jak. That's where I'm going. Twitchy's place."

"Then the meeting must be there."

"Okay."

"Right." Jak smiled, putting his arm around her shoulders, like a father would. "So, ya need directions." A statement, not a question. "Well, he actually has a house now, ya know. Since he and River got engaged." Lilith seemed unable to speak. Of course she knew. She was there, along with all the other Turks, when he'd proposed. She was holding back tears, because statues don't cry.

(Yet, even stone crumbles).

"Well, here's a map to his place, kay?" Jak said, drawing her up one on a napkin. "Burn it when ya get there. One of yer Knights'll take ya hone, kay?"

"Okay," Lilith sighed. She looked at the map and nodded.

"Good luck, White Princess."

Lilith nodded and walked slowly away, studying the map intently.

Only when she was out of sight did she start running again.

Face it.

She was afraid.

**Of Wolves, Foxes, Cats, Dogs, and Humans (Only the Cat and Dog talk)**

Reeve stared around the "Family Room" of Zel's house. It had more people in it than he had previously thought possible.

Every living Turk still on the continent, half of Wolf's (ex)Pack, a renegade group of hackers led by Axel Takashi and his wife Amaterasu (Amy), and any other rag-tag ex-Shin-Ra employees, all shoved into one room.

Surprisingly, there wasn't much noise in the crowded room. There didn't seem to be more than four people in a group, all were whispering. To Reeve's slight amusement, though, it seemed each group made up of one of each: A Turk, a Hacker, a Dog, and another ex-employee.

River was weaving in and out of the crowd, offering drinks and food to anyone who was in reach. Reeve had learned that being overly caring was one of her little ticks that she did when she was nervous. If that meant offering people food that Zel had made (because Zel cooked when he was nervous), than that's what would happen.

Except Reeve couldn't find Zel anywhere.

Yes, when the going got tough, Zel disappeared.

Or seemed to.

"River, where's Zel?" Reeve asked. River stopped in her fourth trip and looked around the room.

"Hiding somewhere, the poor anti-social mutt," River replied, smiling. "He hates large crowds."

"But he's always so talkative," Reeve reflected.

"Yeah, until the crowd grows to be more than like five. Then he runs," River said. "The only exception is when he's with the Turks, 'cause he knows all of us."

"Okay, I'll go look for him." Reeve nodded. Cait, done weaving through people's legs, jumped on his shoulder and they set off searching the other rooms in the house for the reclusive ex-Turk.

Reeve found him, perched in the back corner of the family room, hidden in the shadow of the couch. He was talking on his cell phone.

"Yeah, I hear ya Birdman..." he was whispering. "You and Nymph made it alright? Lilith knows? Cool, cool. Whoah, what? The King of Wutai is protecting you? Really? You were a WHAT? Why did you join Turk? Oh, I see... No wait... No I don't...Nymph was a Lotus Assasin? Why'd she join...oh, exiled...right..." Zel looked up to see Reeve looking at him. He smiled. "Hey, Birdman, wanna say hi to Ketto? Kay." Zel smiled and held out the phone to Reeve.

"Hello?" Reeve whispered into the phone.

"Konichiwa!" two people replied. Reeve smiled. He could just invision the two Turks smashing their heads together to talk to the phone at the same time. "How's Ketto?"

Reeve recognized the voices from the time he'd seen all the Turks reporting in to Zel just after he'd told him Vincent was dead.

Kilick (Birdman) and Lin (Nymph).

"I'm fine. I'm glad to hear you two are alright."

"Totally!" Lin said. Reeve heard an "ummpph!" come from Kilick, whom Lin must have pushed out of the way. "They'll never bring us down, Ketto. Birdman and I, yeah, we're invincible!"

"That's what Dirge said," Reeve replied. "Err, sorry to bring that up."

"No biggie. I meant, though, that we're under the protection of Wutai now, so Shin-Ra can't get us here."

"I'm glad."

"You should come visit sometime," Kilick said, obviously pushing Lin out of the way this time. "You'd like it here." It was a code, Reeve thought. It meant "you'd be safe here."

"Maybe sometime, when I'm older and my parents aren't so protective," Reeve joked. Kilick laughed.

"Right, right. Can ya give the phone back ta Twitch for a moment? We've gotta get going, soon."

"Yeah. Say bye to Nymph for me."

"Will do. Safe travels, Ketto."

"You too."

Reeve handed the phone back to Zel, who smiled and went on with a more somber, whispered conversation for a few minutes. Then he hung up the phone and smiled again at Reeve.

"Enjoying the party?" he asked.

"Was gonna ask you the same thing. You're hiding from everyone."

"Yeah, well, it's what I do."

"Be anti-social?"

"Yeah, well, there's a lot of people here," Zel said, scratching the back of his head nervously.

"No kidding. How do you know so many people?"

"In the Slums, where one animal gathers, all gather."

"What?" Reeve looked around the room, all he saw was men and women, talking worriedly among themselves. "Animals? I guess, if you count Cait, there's one here..."

"No, most people here are animals," Zel said smiling. "Let see, that group of people are all Dogs," Zel pointed to one fourth of the group. "Well, they're more like Wolves. Then there's Axel and his gang. All of them are Kitsunes, ya know?"

"They're what?" Reeve asked.

"Foxes. They all seem to stick their noses into everything and are a bunch of tricksters. Thus, they are foxes."

"I see."

"And you, Reeve, are a Cat, and I'm a Dog...so, well, we're supposed to be enemies but really why don't he be friends." Zel gave Reeve a cockeyed grin and Reeve laughed. They both let it tapper off into silence, watching everyone in the room. The tension was so thick one could hardly breathe.

Zel's phone rang, scaring both of them.

"Hello...?" Zel asked, turning away from Reeve.

"Okay, so the Dirge and Tero die, most of the people at Shin-Ra quit, and all of us are in mortal danger and NOBODY CALLS ME. I see...I see how it is. You guys just don't like Rookies, huh? Well, you could have been more subtle about it!" the person on the phone shouted.

"Mindflyer! You're still in Junon, aren't ya?"

"Don't change the subject!" Mindflyer, obviously another Turk, fumed. "You could have said something!"

"Dude, you're in _Junon_. And all of us are...well, we all quit."

"And are in threat of extinction! Damnit, Twitch! Is everyone okay?"

"Except for your partner, yes, everyone is okay." Zel frowned, feeling Reeves boring into the back of his skull. "You should be safe, as long as you play dumb when you get back to HQ."

"So, basically, Zel, you're telling me to forget you ever existed, betray the very man who saved me from an insane asylum, and ignore the fact that the only family I'll ever call my own is being slaughtered one by one?" Zel sighed and cringed.

"Ed, calm down."

"I am calm! For Gaia's sake, Zel! I told Vincent not to go back! I swear to Gaia, why would he leave us like this."

"You're panicking again."

"I know, I know. Vincent was my trainer, you know. He was a great guy. He didn't deserve this. He just didn't!"

Reeve poked Zel, who looked back and mimed the "one second" signal.

_**He's talking to Edward Cole, nicknamed "Mindflyer." **_Reeve looked over his shoulder furtively and smiled slightly at Vincent, who was leaning against the wall and observing the room, frowning. _**He's the youngest Turk we have, and was Petri's partner before he died. **_

"What he mean by saying he was saved from an asylum?" Reeve whispered.

_**When I was on a mission in Junon Harbor, one of the targets pledged insanity and was checked into an asylum for the mentally insane. While searching the place for my target, I met Ed, who was charged with insanity because his uncle said so.**_

"Really?"

_**It probably didn't help that Ed was sure he could predict the future, read minds, and see spirits, though.**_

"Well, I can see spirits, and I'm not crazy," Reeve whispered.

_**And you can predict the future. Just add reading minds, and you're Ed. Anyway, I accidently (on purpose) broke Ed out instead of my target. Then he joined Turks with Petri and the rest is history.**_

"I see. Can he actually do that stuff?"

_**Well, he told me that I'd die by an ironic situation. Honoestly, being a marksman and getting shot seems pretty ironic to me. And he seemed like he could read minds...well, everyone's mind except for mine. Don't know why. Guess I can't dwell on it now. But that's why we called him Mindflyer, see?**_

"I see."

_**He's a good kid. I'm glad he avoided this mess...Akito seems to think he can trust him.**_

Reeve turned back to Zel, smiling slightly while Vincent hovered close by. Zel was proceeding to tell Edward sixteen different ways to pick a lock with a piece of gum. Vincent chuckled.

"And, then, well...you're in," Zel finished, smiling.

"I see...that's interesting. I didn't think that was possible..." Edward replied.

"Yeah, well you'd be amazed what you think of when your life depends on it."

"Right," Ed chuckled. "Oh, hey, someone's at your door, Zel."

Not three seconds after he'd said that, the door bell rang.

_**It's Lilith. I followed her here, most of the way. **_

"It's Miss Lilith," Reeve stated, looking at Zel. Zel looked from the phone to Reeve and back again.

"Hey, Ed, I think I found yer rival," he said to the phone. To Reeve, "How'd you know that?"

"A little birdy told me," Reeve replied, smiling. Zel just shrugged and headed for the door, phone still against his ear. Vincent rolled his eyes.

_**I'm a bird now?**_

"Yeah. A Crow."

_**I feel more like a Raven.**_

Reeve smirked and followed after Zel.

"Hey, Reeve, Ed wants to talk to you," Zel said, handing the phone off as they walked. Reeve put the phone to his ear.

"I look forward to meeting you soon, Ketto Shi," Edward said. Reeve was surprised by how young he really did sound.

"I...uh...me too, I guess." Edward chuckled.

"Forgive me if I've startled you."

"No, not at all. I'm used to it."

"I see." Edward paused. "Reeve, a word of warning..."

"Huh?"

"Avoid trains."

"What?" But Ed had hung up. Reeve shrugged. _What was that about?_ He handed the phone back to Zel.

The doorbell rang again.

"Zel, get the door!" River yelled from the other room.

"I'm getting it, I'm getting it!" Zel called back, opening the door. "I swear, River you have to put...Holy shit. Lilith...are you...okay?"

Lilith staggered into the house. People from the family room crowded into the hallway. Silence settled as everyone stared at Lilith, who in turn stared at them as if they were strange creatures that had just fallen from the moon.

"Lilith...?" Zel asked again, reaching out to touch her.

Lilith turned slowly to look at him.

Then she fell to the floor, sobbing.

**Find the Way (To Save Our Souls)**

It seemed to Reeve that it only took five seconds to have everyone moved back into the family room. Reeve watched as a man with blonde hair (and one black strand) who was wearing all black swoop in and carry Lilith out of the center of attention.

"Zel, someone's kidnapping Lilith!" Reeve panicked. The man looked back and frowned.

"Fameos Brandel...er, Fair. I'm her boyfriend," Fameos called over his shoulder, before disappearing into a different room. Reeve stood there, confused. He'd never understand Turks and their friends.

River came from nowhere and picked Reeve up, moving him to the family room with everyone else. It was there they sat in silence, waiting for their Princess.

"Sorry about my brother," the man Zel had pointed out earlier as Wolf, said quietly, sitting next to Reeve.

Ten minutes later Lilith entered the room, being led by a very worried Fameos. When she entered, all the Turks stood at attention. The Dogs bowed. The Hackers saluted. The ex-employees were the only ones who seemed unorganized, as they just sat there, watching the spectacle.

Lilith was eased down into the chair Zel had just vacated, staring glassy-eyed at the occupants of the room. She stared at Reeve the longest.

"At ease," she whispered, but in the silence, it was like she was yelling. All the Turks found places to sit first, whether it was in a seat, on the back of a couch or on the floor. The Dogs came next, most taking the floor, while Wolf sat back down next to Reeve, Zel on his other side, and a beautiful woman (Rosa, Reeve would learn later) sat behind the group while River sat in front.

Finally, the Hackers took their spots, although many had to stand, as all chairs were taken.

The unorganized ex-employees felt very foolish about this time.

Through all of this, Lilith's eyes never left Reeve.

"Ma'am, is there something wrong?" Reeve asked, twiddling his thumbs nervously.

"So someone will remember us?" Lilith whispered, staring at Reeve. Cait, as if called, jumped from Reeve's shoulder to Lilith's lap. He purred, looking up at her. She smiled weakly and pet the robot. "Ketto Shi and his pet cat, Reeve Tuesti and Cait Sith. I hope the two of you accept my apology. It seems we have drug you right into our war."

Reeve sat motionless.

"Yes, it seems we've drug you right into this mess..." she sighed, holding her head in her hands. "Zel, did you do rollcall?"

"We're all here...except Kilick and Lin, who are under the protection of the Royal family of Wutai," Zel said, jumping up. Reeve guessed it was Zel's job to do roll call every meeting. He didn't mention Petri or Vincent, the ones who were dead. He didn't talk about Freya or Verdot, who were left behind. He didn't even whisper about Edward, the one who had to play dumb.

Lilith seemed to understand.

"I would say, as a respectful way to start this meeting, that we should begin with a moment of silence for our fallen. Unfortunately, I think we've been silent for far too long," Lilith stated.

A series of "agreed" and "amen!" came from the group.

"But this is not a time to celebrate the fact that we are still alive. We have to figure out how to _stay_ alive. And keep three very innocent people away from certain death." Reeve blushed. She was talking about him, Cid, and Shera.

"I don't how, though. I don't know how we stay alive," Lilith said, straightening up. "They've killed the best of us, a cold blooded murder. They've killed the most innocent of us, and made it seem like a suicide. The world is against us, my friends. Anyone in this room is subject to an untimely death..." She looked at Reeve. River and Rosa became protective.

"Oh Princess, an idea, if you will?" Axel "Kitsune" Takashi asked, moving away from his spot on the wall. "The Hackers and I can monitor chatter coming from ShinRa, we can watch the surveillance tapes, and keep you all posted. It won't be any trouble."

"That just connects you even more to us," Lilith stated.

"So?" Axel said, crossing his arms. "We don't care. You've given us something to fight for."

"You and what army?" Rachel asked. Everyone looked over at her, when Legion was holding the melancholy Turk. It was obvious she still hadn't recovered from the death of her Rookie.

"That's our job, Carthage," Wolf said, raising his hand. "What other use for Dogs is there?"

"What about your families?" a Hacker asked, looking at Wolf.

"My family is directly involved," Wolf said, standing up. "My brother, sister-in-law..."

"Not yet, Wolf!" Fameos said, blushing. Wolf didn't notice. Lilith smiled.

"And my little adoptive brother/Puppy all probably are quite close to the _cause_ of this war, my dear Hacker friends. This is just as much my war as yours. Lilith, we're your army."

"Army!" cheered the Dogs.

"And we're your eyes," Axel stated, bowing.

"Hooray!" cheered the Hackers.

"Thank you, thank you..." Lilith whispered. The Turks hugged and showed other forms of appreciation to their new-found allies.

"Its all we can do. Back your own, right?" Wolf said, sitting back down and ruffling Reeve's hair. "And Puppy Zel'll take care of Ketto, so what are we all worrying about?

"Maybe we should now worry about _why_ this is all happening?" River suggested. "Why Vincent was killed, and all this."

More "agreed".

_**But they're complicating things. I died because I was stupid and blinded by a worthless emotion.**_

"Love?" Reeve whispered. "That's not worthless."

_**To you.**_

"But you had to find _something_ that would put your head on the copping block," he mouthed.

_**Oh, now that you mention it...**_

"Reeve, who are you talking to?" Wolf asked, eyeing the room for the other half of the boy's conversation.

"No one," Reeve said quickly. "Just myself..."

The meeting went on like that, with everyone suggesting reasons why, while Reever tried to talk to Vincent without Wolf noticing. By the end, one conclusion was met.

"Whatever it was, it was worth dying for," Axel said, crossing his arms.

**From the Shadows**

"Man, I thought Turks were smart!" the assassin muttered to his partner. "But they all gathered together. What idiots." His partner nodded, preparing signals to the four other pairs of assassins situated around the building.

Ten assassins in all.

"Man, ShinRa paid us a shit load to kill these ducks," the second assassin muttered, aiming his gun at the spikey-haired blonde in his sights. "Shame we have to kill the chicks, though. Some of them are hot."

"Well, leave a few alive, if you want. Just kill the most of them. And don't kill Lilith, we have specific orders to keep her alive. Remember?" the first assassin warned.

"There's a kid in there?"

"So? What's another body?"

"Right."

"Ready?" Silence greeted the first assassin. "Hey, buddy, are you ready to kill these creeps or what?"

A gurgling, suffocating sound greeted his ears.

"What the...?"

The last thing he saw was a moving shadow, sword gleaming in the moonlight.

**XIII's Tribute**

"What was that?" Kyra asked, pointing out the window. Every able-bodied person grabbed a weapon and ventured outside.

What they saw should have disgusted them.

Instead it made them cheer.

In front of Zel's house was a diamond, made of ten hanging bodies.

Assassins.

In the center of the diamond was a painting, in blood.

_To the Turks_

Very simple, yet effective.

They were speechless. Even Reeve had some respect for whoever the artist was.

"Like it?" a young voice called. All turned their attention to the new arrival.

"Who are you?" Zel called. The owner walked out of the shadows. A teenager. Reeve noticed something strange.

It was a spirit.

"Name's Soldier 0013. XIII for short," XIII said, bowing. "This is for the Dirge. Make sure he gets it, kay?" The boy, no older than fifteen with blonde hair untidy enough to rival Zel's, and bright blue eyes, pointed back at the "art" on the wall. Soldier was right, as he seemed to be wearing a military uniform, though the kid had fun with spray paint and clothing dye. Now the clothing was all black, with a few silver decals that read "XIII." Leaning next to him, on the wall, was a long sword, that looked bigger than him.

"Nice outfit," Riley commented. She'd left Aaron at home, but was regretting it now. The boy bowed, smiling slightly. Reeve decided to bring up a point about one of XIII's statements.

"We can't show this to Dirge...He's dead," Reeve stated, frowning.

_**I like this kid.**_

"Really?" XIII sighed. "Well, it's for you guys too. You _are _Turks too. Just so you know, the world does support you."

"What do you mean by that?" Axel asked.

"Believe what you will...I've got to go..."

"Hey, kid...are you...dead?" River called, sighing.

"Nah, I'm just not from here," XIII replied. "Good luck. Call if you need any help, Commissioner." He waved to Reeve.

"Commissioner?" Reeve asked, pointing to himself, confused.

"Friend of yours, Reeve?" Wolf asked, smiling.

"No...I've never met him before...." Reeve swore. But later that night, in his little book of predictions, he'd look down on these words:

"_You will find what you seek but loose what you cherish most."_

And, with Vincent watching him, he'd write:

_Prediction: Soldier XIII_**A/N And, there's the end. **

* * *

**What'd you thik? ^-^ Reviews always welcome.**

**Urg...I don't want to, but another Purge is comming soon....**


	21. Chapter 20: Second Purge, Checkmate

**A/N: It's another Purge, ladies and gentlemen. That means character death. Unfortunatly, you can't rally skip this chapter, because I actually put some imporant stuff in here. But if you don't want to see someone die, don't read the last section. **

**I just stopped crying.**

**I'm sorry...**

* * *

Nobody's Listening

The Purges

Chapter 20: Second Purge: the Checkmate of the White King

_I should have died…_

_I should have ran away, shouldn't have stayed_

_I loved him, I couldn't leave him alone_

_I should have…_

_The blame is only mine_

_In the end, it was my fault_

_**The Diary of Lilith ShinRa, found in the burned wreckage of a mansion, 13 years before the Crisis.**_

**

* * *

**

Can't return to Hell

It was four in the morning. All the others were gone.

Fameos looked around Zel's family room from his armchair and sighed. Lilith was asleep on Zel's couch; clutching Cait Sith to her like a teddy bear (she hated cats…). Reeve was asleep in Rosa's lap, and she was stroking his head rhythmically. Famous guessed that's what put him to sleep. Sakito was nodding off in the middle of his conversation with Zel. River had long since disappeared into her bedroom.

"I'm not letting her go back," he said suddenly. Rosa looked up at him, her head cocked to the side like an owl's. She appeared to be the only one to have heard him.

"How are you going to do that, my dear?" Rosa asked. Fameos frowned at her.

"What do you mean?" he asked. His question brought his brother and Zel into the conversation. They peered at him uncertainly.

"You know she's marked. She's gotta go back sooner or later," Rosa replied mournfully. "She's gotta protect herself, Fameos. You can't be selfish."

"I won't have it!" Fameos shouted, leaping to his feet. "I'm not sending her back to that hell, Rosa!" Reeve stirred, but Rosa kept him asleep with a hushed lullaby that slipped through her lips as easily as a breath. He murmured a slurred thanks and slipped back into unconsciousness. Fameos lowered his voice. "I mean it, Rosa. I'm not sending her back."

"Selfish, selfish little Lion," Rosa chuckled. "Blinded a bit, no?"

"No," Fameos stated stubbornly, sitting on the edge of his seat. "If she goes back, that man…he'll…"

"Don't say it!" Wolf cut in. The force in his voice startled the awake occupants in the room. Fameos looked to his brother, gulping slightly. "He's right, Rosa, we can't let her go back…"

"But…where will you go? Akito's got everywhere in Midgar watched. Lil's in danger if she stays here but he's probably got some tag on her that goes off if she leaves," Zel mumbled.

"Can't the Informer help us at all?" Wolf asked, squinting. He knew Claire. He knew she was probably pacing somewhere, trying to figure out how long she could pull off this scheme of saying Lilith was at home.

"No," Zel sighed, standing up to go over to Lilith. He stroked her cheek protectively. "We can't drag her into this. She's already on the chopping block; let's not give the executioner the ax too."

"Can't _you_ do something?" Rosa asked. "You _are_ the best hacker in the Slums."

"Depends. I've failed at neutralizing the trackers. But I bet I could reprogram it so it says she's running the opposite direction you're going."

"Were'rewe goin'?" Lilith mumbled, blinking and looking at Zel groggily as she woke up. She looked at her watch wearily. "SHIT!" She jumped off the couch and looked around, as if she didn't know where she was for a moment. She looked at Cait, still nestled in her arms. She set the robot on the couch and began hurrying around the room; looking around for her shoes (Fameos had removed them when she'd fallen asleep).

"Uh, Lilith, what are you doing?" Zel asked.

"I'm going to be late!" Lilith hissed. "I've never been late in the history of history!"

"Lilith, you can't go back there," Wolf warned.

"I've got to! I'll put you all in danger if I don-oof!" Lilith ran into Fameos, who stood up to intercept her. She looked up at him, her nose brushing his.

"Dear," he whispered, giving her a tender kiss, "you're not going back there."

"Did you just…" Lilith started, staring at him.

"Order you around? Yes, Princess, yes I did. And it probably will be the only time I do, but I swear to Gaia you're not leaving this house unless it's with me and you're not going back to that building as long as I'm alive!" He held on to Lilith tightly. She relaxed in his arms but tried to push him away.

"Fameos, I love you and all, but I have got to go. You're in too muh…" He silenced her with another kiss. Wolf, trying to add humor to this grim situation, covered Zel's eyes.

"Too young for this, Puppy," he stated. Zel whined.

"I've got myself a girl already, Wolf! How am I too young?" he muttered, trying to break Wolf's hold on him. Wolf didn't budge. He stared at his brother. Zel wiggled out of one of his hands and looked at Fameos too. He was embracing Lilith, but something wasn't right.

Both of them saw it.

The protectiveness in Fameos's eyes.

**

* * *

**

Haunting

It was seven in the morning.

Lilith felt like she was betraying everyone she'd ever met in that one moment. But Fameos wouldn't let her go. No matter how hard she tried to get away, to return to ShinRa and to Akito, she knew Fameos would stop her.

She didn't want to fight anymore.

She sat on the couch while Zel, Wolf, and Fameos planed. River and Rosa sat with her, watching their respective men hurry around the room in a panic. Rosa had put Reeve in River and Zel's room while the men ran around like chickens without heads. She didn't want the boy to wake up to this chaos.

While watching their men, Rosa brought up another topic.

"Why is always cold around little Ketto?" she asked, looking back towards the closed door that separated them from Reeve. Lilith sat there like a statue, as if she wasn't listening. But River was.

"What do you mean?" she whispered, not wanting to add to the tension.

"I believe the little one is haunted by something," Rosa whispered back. "Or maybe he's already dead. When I held him tonight, he felt so cold. Like I was holding a dead child, Miss River. He's so young, but he's…he feels dead…"

"He saw Vincent die, Rosa," River muttered.

"The Dirge…this…it makes sense…"

"What does?"

"Ketto…Mr. Ketto is haunted by the Dirge," Rosa stated, nodding.

"What, no!" Lilith said, suddenly breaking out of her trance. "There are no such thing as ghosts, girls! And Vincent wouldn't haunt a child!"

"Not all haunting is evil, Princess," Rosa shot.

"This isn't the Underground, Rosa, this is real life," Lilith said, finding herself crying again. Damnit, why did she cry every time someone talked about Vincent? "And, if he was haunting anyone, he'd be haunting someone who could _do_ something!"

"Do you think, because he's a _child_, he can't do anything?" River said, shocked. Who was this woman and where was Lilith?

"No! I'm saying that he should be haunting someone else, someone he can blame!" she shouted. Everything clicked.

"Oh no, you don't…" Rosa started, covering her mouth in a very aristocratic gasp. "You blame yourself for Vincent's…"

"Yes, of course I do!" Lilith suddenly screamed. Everything around her stopped. Everyone just stared at the crying woman standing in their midst. Suddenly the reason their Princess needed hope made sense. "It's my fault he went to that stupid place! Damnit, it's my fault he went back, even though he knew Hojo was after him! I told him to follow his heart, damnit! I didn't even know he _had_ one until then!" Lilith sobbed. "And look; now he's dead. It's all my fault!" she screamed. "I don't care that Hojo held the gun! I'm the one that killed him!"

"Survivor's guilt," Wolf whispered. "All the Turks are experiencing it. I wondered when she would." The men stood motionless. They didn't know what to do. Fameos thought this further proved his point of the need to get her away.

"Princess Lilith, the Dirge would never think a thing like that," Rosa said, holding the sobbing woman in her arms.

"Well, he should," Lilith ordered. "You hear me, Vincent?! It's my fault!"

The temperature in the room dropped like a stone. Rosa shot up and into Wolf's arms, whimpering. Wolf almost fell over from the force of his rocketing woman. The hair on the back of Zel's neck rose. Lilith's tears froze on her face. River and Fameos seemed frozen in their spots.

_**Explain to me how this whole situation is YOUR fault, Princess**_**. **

The statement literally came from nowhere. River, who remembered when _she'd_ seen Vincent's ghost, looked around hopefully. All the other occupants looked incredibly pale. Rosa had stopped whimpering, but Wolf had started. Zel had dropped to the floor, hands over his head.

There was no doubt about it, though. That _was _Vincent talking.

"Dirge, is that…" Rosa called, hopefully. "You? Are you here?" Her only answer was silence.

Lilith crumpled back into the couch, staring at the ceiling.

Red eyes greeted her instead.

She didn't scream, she just stared.

_**Thanks**_

"Thanks?" Lilith repeated.

_**Yeah**_

"But why?"

_**Because now I…I get it now…**_ Lilith just stared. The red eyes flicked over to Rosa and Wolf, River and Zel, and finally, her and Fameos. _**I understand what I was…missing.**_

Lilith sat up.

_**No more tears, Lilly.**_

Everyone heard that. They all looked at Lillith, who was suddenly not on the couch but clutching onto Fameos as if he were a lifeline.

The temperature returned to normal.

Vincent was gone again.

(And only Rosa would hear the door to the Strife's room open and close quietly, as Vincent returned to his charge's side.)

**

* * *

**

Escape one Last Time (False sense of security)

So this was the plan(as it was set in motion):

Fameos, Wolf, Rosa, and Lilith left the city during the day immediately after Zel "sent" Lilith towards Kalm. They really went the opposite direction, towards a deserted island.

Of course, it wasn't actually deserted.

Actually, it was a place Vincent and Zel had found in their teens. Zel had, albeit jokingly, suggested that they build a "club house" on the island.

So they did.

But neither of them had been back since joining Turk. In fact, Zel had forgotten about the place until he found an old map.

So, with Akito thinking Lilith was on land and moving towards the Swamplands, she and her "family" arrived at the island.

Which was basically a mansion in the dead center of an incredibly dense jungle. Zel had shown them an aerial picture of the island and they couldn't even locate the house.

"They called this a _club house_?!" Wolf gapped, whistling at the size of the place upon arrival.

"It's smaller than the real Manor," Fameos stated, shrugging. Rosa said nothing. She was afraid of what might come out of her mouth if she did.

Lilith, on the other hand, didn't even flinch. She just carried her one bag of luggage (that didn't have clothes in it) to the door. She unlocked it before noticing something.

"Guys, come here!" she shouted, staring at the door. Her three Slum-born travel companions bolted up to her side. She was point at a note tacked to the front door.

_Dear Zel,  
Can you believe how long it's been since we've hung out here? I can't believe the state it's in! You really did a good job when you did the planning and built this place. _

_Anyway, I found this place again. Forgot how secluded it was. Kinda nice, ya know? If you were wondering, yes, this is where I went for a few weeks after Dad died. _

_I've restocked everything, so it should be set. Did you once tell me to leave a year's worth of supplies here?_

_There's probably enough for four people to live comfortably for a year…_

_Love  
Vincent_

"Spooky," Rosa said. "Four people live comfortably…that's nice. Thank ya kindly Mr. Dirge…" She took the note off the door and walked in.

The others followed, dumbfounded. Luck was on their side…?

It didn't take long to settle in. Everything was set up and arranged, just like Vincent's note had said. The only "problem," so to speak, was that there were only two bedrooms.

Okay, so the two bedrooms thing wasn't really a problem, as Wolf and Rosa were married and Fameos and Lilith were engaged (albeit unofficially), so nobody thought twice about _that_ problem.

They just remembered one of the bedrooms previously belonged to the now-dead Vincent.

But Lilith solved _that _problem by walking past them all and into Vincent's room, passing out almost immediately on the bed.

So really, there were no problems at all…

* * *

**Biding Time **

Three months can pass in the blink of an eye.

At least, that's what Fameos noted.

After all the anxiety had passed and the group became more comfortable with their area and each other, it was decided that an exploration of the house and island was well overdue.

For safety's sake, Lilith and Rosa stayed in the house while Fameos and Wolf explored the island.

The only thing Lilith and Rosa found, besides a key that didn't fit anything in the house, was that Vincent was actually quiet a sentimental man. The walls to his old room, now inhabited by Lilith and Fameos, were covered in photographs from Vincent's life. Of all, though, six were put into frames.

The first was the Turk family picture. Lilith remembered that day like it was yesterday. Getting all the Turks, the "sane" scientists, and a bunch of random people who were best friends to the Turks all in one place at one time was quiet an undertaking.

The second was of Vincent and a Wutianese woman, who Lilith recognized as Makina Kazahana, Vincent's grandmother. When she told this to Rosa, the ex-Dog admitted her shock. The woman in the picture looked too young…

The third was of Vincent and Zel. Rosa pointed out to Lilith for the first time how…well…_different_ Zel and Vincent were (besides the obvious differences, of couse). For example, Vincent was standing up straight and proud in the picture while Zel was slouching and grinning like he was going to get in trouble.

The fourth was Vincent and a girl no older than 16. Once again, the difference between "Aristocrat" and "Slum Rat" could be seen, as the girl wore second-hand clothes and appeared to be hiding in Vincent's shadow. Vincent had a protective look in his eye, like an older brother would to a younger sister. Lilith told Rosa that the girl was Ella, another "adopted" member to Vincent's family.

The fifth was of Vincent, a man of 18, and a woman close to the same age. They were at a shooting range. The man was shooting a sniper rifle while the woman covered her face with a fan and Vincent looked on, laughing. Lilith introduced the two as Sebastian and Vivian, the last of the boarders at Vincent's house.

The last picture was a "family" portrait. Vincent and Grimore sat in the center with Zel standing on Vincent's right. Ella sat in front of Vincent and Zel, leaning back on their legs. A white and black ferret sat on her shoulder. Vivian sat next to her, in front of Grimore. Kazahana stood next to Grimore with her hand on his shoulder. Sebastian stood next to her.

Lilith had long since hung the last picture on the wall above the bed.

Wolf and Fameos had better luck finding something more "interesting." They found an emergency escape tunnel hidden way into the forest. The door was padlocked, though, with chains and a key-pad. The hand-written note under the key pad stated:

"_Emergencies only. Use Phone. Sebastian should answer." _

Wolf searched around and found the aforesaid "phone." He stowed it in his pockets for emergency, as if they were found, this tunnel was their only escape.

If escape was even possible in the end.

**

* * *

**

Last Night on the Planet

Lilith had always liked Fameos's style of clothing. A little dark for her tastes (as everything he wore was black except that damned lab coat of his), but comfy-looking none the less. So Fameos was not at all surprised when he opened up his suitcase and found his only white shirt, his grey sweat-pants, and a pair of mixed-matched socks missing.

His sweetheart sure did love the color white.

He heard the shower running.

"Out of clothes?" he called. Frankly, he didn't know how she had gotten on all these months, having been the only one to not pack any clothing at all. He'd guessed she'd been wearing some of the old clothes she'd found around the house, but he didn't know. As long as she was wearing clothes he didn't really pay attention to what it was.

"So?" Lilith called from over the dull roar of the shower. "I've always wondered how comfy your clothes were anyway!"

Fameos didn't say anything; he settled for a soft chuckle as he exited the room to give her some privacy. He walked out onto the back balcony, staring at the sunset. Nervously, he slipped his hand into his pants pocket and checked to see if the object he'd put there was still hidden. When his hand brushed the little metal object, he sighed in relief and put his hand back on the balcony railing.

Moments later another hand was laid on top of his. Fameos smiled as Lilith interlaced their fingers and rested her head on his shoulder.

"You're getting me wet," he complained jokingly, looking down at her.

"Deal with it," she replied, nuzzling his neck and spraying little water droplets from her long hair. Comfortable silence settled in between the two of them for a time before being broken by Lilith's soft voice.

"Does it bug you that I talk about him all the time?" she asked, looking out over the back lawn and refusing to make eye contact.

"If by 'him' you mean Vincent, then no, it doesn't bother me at all," Fameos replied, stroking her head soothingly.

"Why not? I talk about him more than anything else. I don't think I have told you I loved you since he died." She paused. "I love you, by the way." Fameos chuckled.

"Lilith, I know that," he stated reassuringly. "You don't have to remind me every day."

"So why doesn't it bug you?" she asked. "Most other people would take their girlfriend talking about another man as a threat."

"First of all," Fameos said, putting one finger in front of her face, "if this is the same Vegetarian Painter we're talking about, then you and I _both_ know he's always loved you like a sister and nothing more. Second of all," another finger waved in front of her face, "the poor man is _dead_. Talk about him all you want, I don't care. It just means someone will remember him, in the end. And third of all, if you loved _him_ and not me, then he would be standing here with you and I would be off by myself somewhere, not the other way around." Lilith sighed, smiling slightly at the strange optimistic tone Fameos had used during that whole speech.

"He said no one would miss him. No one would cry when he was gone…" she muttered.

"No one mourns the wicked, my dear," he agreed.

"But he wasn't wicked in any sense of the word."

"He thought he was. But I guess he'd get quite the shock to know that half the world is mourning him."

"There weren't many people whose lives he didn't affect, were there?"

"Nope," Fameos stated, smiling. "He was good at everything, liked to get his nose into everything, and got away with (almost) everything. Perfect human being." He laughed, Lilith didn't. He frowned. "Something the matter? That was a joke, by the way, because no one's perfect and…"

"Perfect human being…" she repeated, lifting her head and staring up at the sky.

"Did my crude joke spark a memory?" he whispered into her ear. She nodded.

"Remember the time when we all got locked inside the ShinRa building?" she asked.

"Yes. It was raining like mad and the lights kept flickering and going out. Typical horror movie scene. Oh, and all the nightmares, about all of us dying. Yeah, that sucked."

"Remember how Vincent was the only one who didn't have any nightmares."

"He didn't _sleep_, Lilith. In fact, I distinctly remember him disappearing halfway through the night and appear face down on the pavement outside the building in the morning."

"Vincent said he went looking for something that night."

"Real descriptive."

"That's all he told me. That he went looking and found something that night. That he _found _something, in the ShinRa building. He believed it was behind the whole lock in and nightmares."

"Can that even be possible?"

"I don't know. I was going to try to help him find out, but he always kept me in the dark. Then one day he randomly came up to me and asked if I'd ever given any DNA samples to the company."

"You said…"

"Yeah, blood samples. Remember the epidemic scare, when we all gave up some blood to see if we were clean or not? Well, they kept that on file. Vincent told me mine were missing."

"Oh, that's nice."

"That's what I said. I asked him what importance that served. He said 'None. It just explains Rin.'"

"Who?"

"To this day, I have no idea." Lilith straightened up and sighed. "He only ever brought up 'Rin' one more time, right before he went to the ShinRa Mansion. He was down by our Wall, you know. Just sitting there, staring at it. He had that look in his eyes, ya know? That one that he got after he killed the assassins who killed his mom, and after his dad died."

"Oh yeah, that one where he looks like everything is hopeless and he's just seconds away from blowing his brains out. I know that one."

"Okay….well, he had that facial expression and was just staring. He muttered 'I guess I found a loophole,' when I approached. When I asked him what he was staring at, he pointed to someone's writing right under his own. 'I want to be real,' it said. Signed 'RS.' Rin something. Vincent never told me. He went to the mansion the next day. Then he died."

"You think this Rin fellow might have something to do with his death?"

"On top of Hojo's jealousy, yes." Fameos pondered this for a moment.

"Seems logical. That Vincent would find something strange going on right before his death. But…what does that have to do with perfection?"

"I think Vincent thought that someone was trying to make a perfect warrior. But failed…that's all I got. Rin was an experiment that got out of control, I guess. I don't even think Rin was his real name."

Fameos paled. Yet another surfacing of the banned tests on humans.

Silence settled in again. The darkness began to close around them.

"Lilith?"

"Yes dear?" Lilith replied in a sappy-sweet voice.

"About Akito…" he started. Lilith glared at him, and Fameos knew he was hitting a touchy subject. "Look, Akito has two obsessions. World domination and you. I want to know where the latter came from." Lilith sighed in defeat. She moved away from him and put her head on the railing.

"We've known each other for a long time," she started. "I mean, forever. My parents and his parents had been friends since high school. For a long time, everyone was sure that I had one best friend for life." She sighed. "Even I was convinced of that. When my parents were killed in the suicide bombing, Akito's family took me in. I was happy, because my knight in gilded shining armor was by my side. We did everything together. I thought my life was perfect. And then…"

"He tried to rape you didn't he?" Fameos asked, his fits clenching around the railing.

"Let's just say I saw the corruption underneath that beautiful shining armor. His dad protected me, though, got me out of there, somewhere safe. That's when I met my first set of Turks, you know. First time I actually felt safe was with Riza and her gang. Even after Akito killed his parents and took over the company, I felt that I would always be safe. After Riza's Turks died, she left behind four people to protect me. Vincent, Zel, Verdot, and Kraven, the only Turk to quit and live. They became my friends, the first few men I could befriend and not be afraid for my…er…_innocence_. From there I began to become more open and loving and I _changed_. Then I met you, and I wasn't afraid of him anymore. I wasn't afraid of anything anymore." She turned and smiled at him. "There you go, my life in a nut shell. Sure, there's been numerous attempts by Akito to get me to 'love' him again, but it never worked. Plus, why would he believe that I would want a crazy-power hungry ass-hole when I got a super sexy scientist I'll never know." She sat on the railing facing him. "And yes, before you ask, all this time and I'm still a virgin. Laugh at me and I'll kick your ass." Fameos didn't laugh. He just coughed and looked at his feet. "Aw, did I embarrass you?"

Fameos rolled his eyes and pulled her off the railing into a hug. She laughed and spun around in his arms, resting her back against his chest. He rested his chin on her head and they began watching the starts blink into view.

"You amaze me sometimes, Lilith," Fameos said, smiling. Lilith shot him a questioning look. "Well, anyone else in your position probably wouldn't have had such a strong abstinence vow. Especially with pervs like Akito hovering around every corner."

"Sucks for them that I'm such a traditionalist. No sex before marriage, so ha!" Lilith joked, elbowing Fameos in the ribs. He chuckled.

"Speaking of which, will you marry me?" he asked. Lilith burst out laughing. She didn't think he was serious.

"Do you want to sleep with me _that_ bad?" she asked, turning around with a dorky grin on her face. It was immediately whipped away when she saw he was kneeling behind her, ring in hand. "Oh Gaia, you're _serious_." Fameos nodded. She stared at him. He stayed there patiently for a few moments before starting to stand up.

"Guess that wasn't too romantic of me," he said, starting to put the ring back in his pocket. He'd try again later.

Or so he thought.

"What took you so long?" Lilith asked, tackling him to the ground in a hug with the strength that would rival a Midgar Zolom. Fameos laughed and hugged her back. "Why are we so dysfunctional?" she asked, burrowing her head into his chest as he slipped the ring on her finger.

"Because life's better that way," he replied, kissing her tenderly.

(Wolf sat on the roof above the balcony the whole time with Rosa, video tapping his brother's moment for all to see when they returned to the main-land.)

Fameos wiggled out of Lilith's grasp and got up. He then picked her up and spun her around the balcony, both of them laughing merrily. When he finally set her down, she was exhausted but happy.

"I'm getting married," she squeaked, tackling Fameos again. Fameos kissed her forehead, smiling.

"Woo! Way to go for it, brother!" Wolf called. Rosa whistled. Lilith turned bright red, but Fameos guessed it wasn't from embarrassment.

"Bad Dogs! Didn't anyone ever tell you it's impolite to spy on people?!" she roared, pulling off her shoe and chucking it at the two of them. Rosa was smart and ducked, but Wolf wasn't so lucky. He took a shoe to the face and almost fell off the roof. Rosa caught him, laughing as she threw the shoe back harmlessly. Then they started over the roof, away from the couple. "Can't we get some privacy?!" Lilith yelled after them.

"What do you need _privacy _for?" Rosa asked, wiggling her eyebrows suggestively.

"Yeah, no sex before marriage, Lily!" Wolf shouted, before the two of them disappeared off the roof.

Lilith huffed and stomped her feet like a three year old throwing a tantrum. Fameos laughed guiltily.

"Sorry 'bout that."

"Oh, it's not your fault your brother's a nut," Lilith said, storming back over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. "I love you," she said, smiling. "And all the craziness that comes with you."

"I love you too, and your whole high-profile, work-a-holic life," Fameos repeated, kissing her again. When they broke apart, Lilith rested her head on his chest and he kept looking at the sky. When he looked down again, Lilith was half-way done with unbuttoning his shirt. "Lilith…"

"I won't tell," she said, looking up at him innocently. Fameos shook his head in disbelief. "Please? Just once never killed anybody!"

"We're not married yet, Lily."

"Close enough. You know how long I've waited for you? Well, do ya?" Lilith said, pouting. Fameos laughed.

"You're a hypocrite," he accused, poking her in the nose.

"Queen of them," Lilith responded proudly. Fameos sighed and shook his head. He wished he had more resolve but he knew for a fact that he could never say no to his Lilith. Releasing her, he held out an arm for her to take, as if he were her escort to a dance. She laughed and took his arm.

"As you know, I don't have any idea how we do this," she said as they walked towards their room. "'Cept what's in a romance novel I read once, and 'the Talk' I got from my mom…"

"Well then, that's more than I know," Fameos admitted. Lilith stared at him and he swept her up into his arms as they entered the room. "We'll learn together."

**

* * *

**

Black Side calls Check

Fameos watched Lilith's sleeping form beside him, smiling at the slight rise and fall of her chest as she breathed. She lay facing him, lost to the world in the realm of dreams. He stroked her cheek and she nuzzled into his hand, muttering in her sleep.

He leaned over and kissed her bare shoulder lightly before giving her a peck on the lips. Then he got out of bed and got changed.

It was three o' clock in the morning.

He looked back at his sleeping beauty right as the moonlight slipped through the drapes, causing her to glow in the heavenly light.

"I'm sorry," he whispered to the air, watching her. He couldn't just leave her like that, but he had no choice. He walked to the closet and looked for her white trench coat. Then he remembered she didn't bring it with her. He had his lab coat, though. That would have to do. He pulled it out of the closet and walked back to Lilith's side. He carefully pulled the covers, unclothing her body for his eyes to see again. But he didn't really see it as he carefully dressed her in his old lab coat.

It was the only white thing he'd ever own.

He kissed her forehead and covered her again, smiling as she curled up and buried her head in the sleeve of the coat.

He had one last thing to do.

Walking over to the dresser, he pulled out a clear blue-colored materia and set it under the pillow next to Lilith's head. Before releasing it, he whispered,

"Protect my girl, please Shiva."

He strode to the kitchen, not surprised to see Wolf poking through the fridge. He watched his brother's ear twitch as it picked up his footsteps. Wolf peered over the refrigerator door.

"Should you be with your mate?" he asked, nodding back towards the room. Fameos shook his head. Wolf stood up straight and closed the door to the refrigerator. His eyes glowed with malice. "Ya better not have lied ta her," he growled. "Ya may be my familia, but you ain't getting away with breakin' nobody." He stared down his brother, looking ready to pounce.

"Listen!" Fameos commanded. Wolf didn't stop glaring but listened to the silence of the house. Then he heard it.

Footsteps, running. Hearts beating. Calls, orders.

They were surrounded.

"They're after me," Fameos said. "I'm not going to let them take her!" Fameos turned and headed for the door. He was in the hallway before Wolf jumped on his back and slammed him to the floor.

"No!" Wolf ordered. "No one walks alone!"

"Wolf, you have to let me go!" Fameos ordered. "I'm not the brother you've been watching over all these years! I'm different now!" Wolf's grip loosened and Fameos slipped out of reach. He stared at his brother. "You've got to get something to Zel for me." He slipped his hand into his pocket and pulled out a flash drive and a piece of paper.

"Fameos…what's…" he took the articles from him and read the paper. "Rin…who's…."

"It's what Vincent died for," Fameos said. "Watch the flash drive, in a safe location. With Zel, as many Turks as possible, and Lilith present." He looked towards the door. Someone was pounding on it, demanding entrance.

"Fameos…" Wolf started after his brother.

"Do it for me, Sakito!!" Fameos said, voiced strained. "Protect her for me, and stop this madness!" Wolf stood still. "Please…" Fameos whimpered. "I can't save her now. I don't want to lie to her about being safe. If I have to go, don't let her go too…"

"Fameos…" Wolf bounded over to his brother and hugged him tightly. "Amo te, frater."

"Amo te," Fameos replied, his grip not as strong. "Goodbye." Wolf nodded and backed off, before he gave one last whimper and darted towards Lilith's room. He waited. Rosa appeared, gave him a hug, stifled a sob, and bolted after her mate.

Fameos walked alone.

"Vincent," he whispered. "If only I'd known you learned about Rin…I can't believe they went against our word and completed the project…" He waited one minute more to let Wolf and Rosa hide.

He opened the door and came face to face with a gun. He waited for it to fire.

"Fameos Fair?" the person holding the gun asked. Fameos held up his hands and nodded. "Are you alone?" Another nod.

"Check the house to make sure!" Fameos recognized the voice. Hojo stepped out of the darkness and glared at him.

"Hello there," Fameos said cordially. Hojo spit off to the side instead of answering. Another armed man came up to him.

"Did a heat seeking check and a manual search. He's alone," the man said. Hojo frowned.

"Where is she, Fameos?" Hojo growled.

"Lucrecia lives with you now, I thought," Fameos replied, smiling sweetly.

"Lilith, you ass! Where is Lilith?" Hojo spewed, ripping the gun away from the solider standing next to him.

"Kalm, I believe. Or Midgar. Not sure, actually. Haven't seen her." Lying felt good.

How strange.

"You're lying."

"I am not," Fameos said, in his typical cocky/comedic voice. Hojo glared.

"Burn it down," he finally ordered. Fameos's eyes went wide.

"This isn't my house! You can't burn it down!" He said, shocked. Hojo just smiled at him.

"Are you going to stop me?" he smirked. Fameos could only watch in horror as the soldiers lit torches and threw them into the house. He looked at all the guns pointed at his head and wondered how many bullets he could take before he died.

He lunged towards Hojo, too fast for any of the soldiers to react. He slammed into the man(?) at full force, knocking them both to the ground.

Fameos then proceeded to beat the shit out of him. The soldiers pulled him off the now infuriated but bleeding Hojo. They held him steady as Hojo stood up and pulled the gun he'd dropped off the ground.

"Any last words?"

"See you in hell!"

The last thing Fameos was supposed to see was Hojo swinging a gun at his head like a club.

If only that could have been the end.

**

* * *

**

Reality Check

Lilith awoke to find herself staring at Wolf and Rosa.

"Wha…"

"Shh!" Rosa commanded. With no explanation, she drug Lilith out of the bed and under it, with Wolf following immediately. Lilith, now squished under the bed between two dogs, now realized something.

She was wearing Fameos's lab coat and nothing else.

Fameos was missing.

Reality slammed against her like a wrecking ball as she heard something break down the door to her room. Feet appeared in her line of vision. She felt like crying, like screaming, like attacking whoever was there but she was too scared to do anything. Rosa's hand over her mouth was unnecessary.

"All clear!" one pair of feet shouted before leaving the room. Tears began falling freely now from Lilith's eyes.

"What idiot doesn't check under a bed?" Rosa hissed.

"Did the room just get colder?" Wolf asked. In fact, the room was now glowing a pale blue and the temperature had dropped dramatically.

Wolf crawled out to investigate, followed by Lilith and Rosa.

What they found was Shiva sitting on the bed, staring back at them. The Summon eyed Lilith, shivering, sobbing, and clad only in an old lab coat. Shiva beckoned to her. Lilith walked closer and finally just fell into a crumpled heap at her feet.

"Oh dear, don't cry," Rosa said, though she was feeling tears build up herself. Shiva picked Lilith up as if she weighed a feather and cradled her. With her eyes, the Ice Goddess called the two Dogs closer.

If anyone could have seen it, it would have been a strange sight. Two people sitting next to Shiva, while the Summon sat cradling a third person.

Only no one could see it.

Shiva looked at the activated illusion dust she'd spread about the room, which had masked the existence of the three Terrain now in her possession. She looked down at the girl she held, this "Lilith." She sat sobbing, helpless to aid her mate. Shiva pitied her.

"They're catching the house on fire," Wolf whispered, fear in his voice.

"You are safe," Shiva said, her voice twinkling. Rosa clutched Wolf, unwilling to lose any more people tonight.

The house burned down around them.

No one cared to check if they were alive in the end.

**

* * *

**

For All These Times

Fameos opened his eyes. Which was shocking in and of itself. He thought he was dead.

Guess not.

He didn't know how long he'd been out, but he recognized where he'd woken up. The basement lab in ShinRa. And he was strapped to a table.

The day kept looking up.

He groaned and tried to move. His left hand felt like it was made of cement; he couldn't move it at all. He didn't want to look.

When he did, he wasn't happy with what he saw. A crippled, sprawling mass of undead skin, muscle, and sinew, about twice the size of his normal arm, sat throbbing and pulsating where his left arm should have been. Where his hand used to be were quarter of a foot long talons. He tried to flex his fingers; the talons flexed instead.

Fameos instantly felt sick.

"He replaced my arm with Chimera DNA," he muttered. "He fucking replaced my arm with Chimera DNA. I wasn't even dead yet and he _replaced my arm with Chimera DNA!_" Fameos was shaking with anger now. Quickly, he composed himself and tried to think of a way out of this mess.

He heard movement behind him.

"Hojo, show yourself so I can use your own creation to rip your guts out!" Fameos shouted. The figure emerged from the shadows, revealing it not to be Hojo but…

Claire.

"Fameos?" she whispered, uncertain.

"Oh, Claire. Forgive me, I thought you were someone else," Fameos apologized. Claire smiled with amazement in her eyes.

"I can get you out of here," she said. She held up a key.

"I wouldn't get too close if I were you," he warned. She looked at him with confusion. "This thing that's now my arm likes blood. It could attack you."

"Fameos, you can't be serious," Claire whispered. He nodded. Looking defeated, she threw the key to him. His left hand moved on its own, breaking the bonds that held it down to catch the key. Claire watched on in horror and shock.

"Handy," he said. "No pun intended." He transferred the key to his right hand and proceeded to unlock himself. He slid off the table and stretched, happy to find that he was still in his black attire. He waved at Claire and threw the keys back to her.

"What will you do now?" she asked, clutching the keys.

"Find Lilith. Say goodbye…kill myself." Claire's eyes grew in size.

"You're going to…"

"I have to. Or else this thing will totally take over and I'll become an unstoppable monster." Claire began sobbing.

"Are we all going to die?" she asked, hugging herself for comfort.

"No," Fameos said. He walked up quickly, gave her a hug, and then retreated to the back of the room. Claire watched him the whole time.

"This is goodbye, then," she finally said. "Goodbye."

"It should have been goodbye a long time ago, Claire. Just think that way. I'm a dead man walking," he smiled at her one last time before his left arm catapulted him up the wall and out of sight.

The first place he visited was Zel's house. He looked in the window to find Reeve, Zel, and River all watching a movie on the couch like a typical family. It made Fameos laugh. Satisfied they were okay (he attacked some spies on the way. He was disgusted, as his arm had decided to eat the entrails of the poor people. At least they were dead first.), he slid off into the night.

Using his previous knowledge of the Turks, he checked up on everyone of them he could find. For those he couldn't, he smiled. They were well hidden.

He'd almost been seen by Riley, as she and Aaron were out talking on their roof when he glided past. Aaron, though, had distracted her right at the last moment by point to a hole in the Plate through which the stars could be seen.

Finally, he was able to sniff out where his beloved was hiding. He jumped to the balcony of the mansion in the small town of Jerichi. He knew this place. Lilith's home town. This place was Lilith's house.

Akito was too stupid to look here.

Fameos looked in through the window at the sleeping form of his wife. Carefully, he opened the door and slipped in. He knew he was being careless, but he had to actually say goodbye.

He sat on the edge of the bed next to her, watching her sleep and realizing he was breaking too many laws to count by just sitting there.

She stirred. Fameos couldn't move. He just stared at his love as she sat up and found him there, watching her.

Her reaction was quiet shocking, because she had no reaction at all. She just stared at him.

"Fameos?" she asked, poking him. "Am I dreaming again?" She poked his stomach. He chuckled involuntarily. "How are you here? Alive? You've been gone for two months! They burned down the house, you weren't there…" Lilith started sobbing. "You weren't there! I woke up and you weren't…"

His kiss silenced her. She answered in full. But he tore away too quickly for her liking. She clutched him, unwilling to let him get away again.

"I came to say goodbye," he whispered in her ear. His arm throbbed for blood. He heard footsteps in the hallway. He had to get away.

"Goodbye," she repeated, staring at him.

"It's too dangerous to be around me anymore, Lily." He looked down at his arm. She followed his eyes. When she saw the atrocity that remained of his left arm, she gasped.

"No…what'd they do to you Fameos…?" she gasped, reaching out to touch it. He jerked away from her.

"I'm sorry Lilith. I want you to know I love you, that I will always love you…" Fameos started moving back to her window, trying to stay away from her. "I didn't abandon you, Lilith. I just didn't want to…couldn't see you die. It's better this way…"

Wolf, Rosa, and (to Fameos's surprise) Axel ran into the room. They all stared at him with wide-eyed disbelief.

"Fameos…" Rosa said, gasping. Her eyes were fixed on his arm.

"Brother…they…" Wolf started forward.

"I'm dead, brother," Fameos said, before turning from him and jumping out the window.

**

* * *

**

Fameos Fallen

Axel was following him. He could smell fire. Fameos wasn't stupid. He knew about Axel's gift with fire. He knew about his skill with chakram too.

"Fameos, hold up!" Axel called. He kept running, away from Lilith.

Axel wasn't the only one chasing him now. The ShinRa dogs knew he'd escaped.

"Claire told me what they did to you, Fameos!" Axel called. "Chimera, I know!"

"If I can't kill myself, burn me alive, Axel," Fameos called back. "Did you get the flash drive?"

"It was given to Zel, like you asked…" Axel was beside him now; both of them were running with unnatural speed. "I have a copy and so do many of my friends." Fameos nodded. He could hear sirens now.

"They're coming for me…" he said, lunging forward. "Fall back, get to cover!" Axel knew it was over. He fell back to protect Lilith.

Fameos was cornered in a matter of seconds after his retreated. Behind him was a cliff overlooking a grassy clearing in the surrounded by trees. In front of him was a horde of ShinRa troops.

"Didn't know we had an army," Fameos muttered as Hojo materialized in front of the troops. Akito was following him. "Well if it isn't just my two favorite people!" His left hand raised and he started to tap his cheekbone with his middle talon.

A nervous habit. Lilith had tried to break him of it.

Akito glared at him, his malice almost tangible.

"Where's my wife, Fameos?" Akito spat out his name like it was poison.

Fameos extended his left arm as if to examine it. He looked at his ring finger, where the little band of metal was all that remained of his previous life. Akito saw what he was examining.

"I believe she's my wife, sir," Fameos replied, smirking at him. Akito moved forward, as if to attack him. Fameos moved further back towards the edge, waving his grotesque hand in front of him with much effort. "I wouldn't, if I were you. This thing likes to attack at random. Just ask Hojo there. He'll tell ya." Hojo glared. "Oh, and I hope you weren't intending to use Chimera DNA as a way to make another Perfect…" Akito's look was priceless. "Oh yes, I know about Rin. So did Vincent, actually." Akito's shock turned to rage again. "Isn't that why you killed him?"

Hojo waved his hand as if to dismiss the idea.

"He was invading on my territory," Hojo retorted, grinning.

"And you call Zel a dog," Fameos shot back. "No, I know how it is. You just used his love for Lucercia as a cover up." Akito and Hojo exchanged glares. "I bet there's another reason too, one that I don't know. Vincent was good at finding things wrong with you, Akito."

"Shut up, will you?" Akito ordered. He raised his hand, ordering the soldiers to take aim.

"Oh, you don't have to do that. Don't waste your bullets. I'll do it for you." Fameos brought his left hand to his neck, pressing the talons to his neck. The soldiers looked unsure about what to do.

"What the hell are you doing?" Hojo spewed, eyes widening. It started to rain.

"I'm doing the world a favor. It doesn't need another monster. If you were smart, you'd do the same…" Hojo balked. "But you really are more beast than I."

"Stop!" Akito suddenly said. Fameos just closed his eyes and smiled sadly.

"Through this sea of blood and pain, the Dirge will rise again," Fameos said.

He then cut off his own head, dragging the talons across his neck in one fluid motion. The force knocked his head and body off the cliff, where it fell into a crumpled heap at the base.

Akito and Hojo ran forward to see what had happened.

Then, through the rain, four figures appeared.

Lilith, Rosa, Wolf, and Axel walked into the clearing, the last two bearing a litter. Lilith walked up to the head of Fameos, which lay at her feet, eyes still closed, mouth still smiling. She picked it up and held it closed to her body, as a child would a doll. Tears flowed freely from her eyes.

Axel, Rosa, and Wolf walked to his body. The men set down the litter and carefully put Fameos's remains on it. One last figure emerged from the forest.

Krevan, code name Dragoon.

All the Turks were back again.

He walked to Axel's side and picked up the litter. Rosa and Wolf bore the back, while Axel and he the front. The whole time, Akito couldn't move. The soldiers watched the procession with shock and horror.

The four litter-bearers carried it on their shoulders, raising Famoes up in his journey to the Lifestream.

Lilith didn't take her eyes off the group. But, with a flash of lightning, she looked up into Akito's eyes. Turning Fameos's head so it was facing her, she kissed it. Then, she shifted it to one hand and raised her left, bloodied hand to her mouth. Her white clothing was stained red with blood.

Lilith was innocent no longer.

The four litter-bearers entered the forest. Lilith walked backward, still holding her left hand to her mouth and keeping eye contact with Akito.

Lightning flashed again

She blew him a kiss and the night engulfed her.

* * *

**A/N: I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry.**

**Gawd, I really did love Famoes.**

**comments would be nice...gawd, I'm such a horrible person...-slinks off into a corner.-**


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